Arts Ball.

Horowhenua Chronicle, 5 April 1911, Page 4

Arts Ball.

A DANCE OF 4000.

(From the "Evening Star/' London.) in the early hours of this morning ii costume Don Quixote rode a costinne horse into (lie arena of the .Albert Hall Thereafter laughtor loud and continuous emerged from the riotous Coloring ol the Chelsea Arts Ball, and till live o'clock the gay revels went oil. When the lights were lowered, and the great pageant of colour extinguished, many of the merry-Makers adjourned to costume -breakfasts given by a number of artistic hostesses ill the neighbourhood of South Kensington. SETTING THE BALL IN MOTION. The great Chelsea Arts Hall iegan, writes a Star man, was an astonishing colour pageant. It devloped into an artistic revel. it took some time for the dancers to settle down to the dainty Wattc-au decorations of the hall, the beauty of the garlands of-roses and the delicious "floral baskets hanging above each box overlooking the -ballroom. 'The entrancing mass of colour made people gaze rather than dance. When, however, the tide Ir.un the theatres roHled in, and Don Qui c it? appeared, things began to hum. j SUPPER. 1 There were 4000 costumes rf -all J colours to- gaze at. From floor to < roof the Albert Hall was packed with gaily clad people. The two tiers of boxes were used by parties. Supper was served 11. tiiem, and the tables glittered silver and glass, and candles Jignted at supper time added, myriad .soft lights all around the arena. In the balcony those who had paid their half-crown to _ see and take no part sat drinking in the fairylike scene. It was doubtful if they could ov n identify their friends in the crush upon the floor. ]N THE COLOURED lI.MES Over the dancers coloured .searchlights swept backwards and forwards. The brilliant scene was ever changing. The. dark and light squares of the parquet flooring formed the groundwork of the picture as seen from above. LUCE ANIMATED CONFETTI. Over t-liLs groundwork green, red, blue and white streams of light from the searchlights played like coloured fire. The dancers looked, like a seething mass ol confetti. It was a wonderful festival ol gay Bohemia, through which sedateness struggled. The costumes were in unexceptionable taste and highly artisUe. -no re were Salomes, but no daring ones. There was -every c-oncivable costume, from the pre-historic to the 'I urkish trousers. No one was shocked at the latter. The lady was oven admired. There was every colour, but the people, appeared to have seriously dressed to a part. It was Willie Clarkson and Charles Fox on the grand scald. KING CHARLES AND THE PORTER. The Early Victorian ladies wore charming. ' The Jacobin gentlemen were delightful. King Charles and a South Eastern Railway porter -sat side by side, with the limelight full on them. R was the most polite Bohemia that ever was. A policeman and a group of '-backwoodsmen from Texas sot op a little show of their own. and the backwoodsmen won. They lassoed the policeman in full view of an admiring audience. THE FLYING SKIRTS OF THE BALL. Then a Texas lady attached to th" party turned a somersault upon the parquet floor, and the groat merry carnival rolled on as though nothing had happened. At midnight -actors and actresses stepped into the blaze of light and colour. Miss Irene Vanbrugh was among the first to arrive. She had disguised herself with grease paint, and wore an evening gown just as she had left the theatre. Then Mr Arthu Bourchier arrived as Henry VITf. He had attempted to disguise himself into some other character, but to no purpose. Mr Oscar Lewisohn and Miss Edna May arrived together, and at once there was a rush to see the BelJe of New York. NOVELTIES. Mr G. P. Huntley was "the Hon. Phil" in a military costume. Mrs Huntley created a sensation by appearing as a doll, in short skirt and snow-white baby linen. A lady chauffeur in white satin and a winged cap also enjoyed the distinction of being (lie wearer of something quite novel. For the rest the costumes were generally repeated in dozens and scores. ' Mr E. V. Sasson. the flying man, wore a threefold costume. It represented a monk, a mechanic, and a merchant- all rolled' into one. SEEN IN THE BONES. Mrs Cornwallis "\Ye.st, Lord Farquhar, the Marchioness of Tweeddale, the Austrian Ambassador, Conntrss Bluchor, Lady Helen Vincent, Sir Alfred Turner, and Capt. Adrian Jones were a few of the well-known people who occupied and entertained parties till the small hours. AFTER THE/ BALL. At five o'clock, when the revels ceased, the scene outside the Albert Hall was almost as gav "as it had been inside. A line of cabs strotoh"t - <wu\ Kensington F'gh ytroot, past Olympia, and nearly to Hammersmith. Vikings and royal kings, Napoleons, admirals, soldiers, and their ladies scrambled for conveyances. Many of the revellers were busily engaged in getting home when the .stream of business men started Citywards.