PAVLOVA.

Hokitika Guardian, 1 July 1920, Page 1

PAVLOVA.

A WONDERFUL DANCER. LONDON, April 13. ' Anna Pavlona, dancer, but more nymph or hamadryad from ancient; myth than of tlie human dancing race, i came back to her faithful Londoners]

last night at Drury Lane. She had a wonderful reception, and in time to come these days will be looked back on as marvellous when both Karsavina and Pavlova were to be seen with mortal eyes. The age of miracles does not last for ever.

Mine. Pavlova is the flame-like spirit she ever was. She is a snowflake or a russet leaf blown on an autumn wind. She can be anything she will, having prodigious dancing' technique and also tho powers of a great actress. What last night she mainly chose to be was a sort of peerless violinist fiddling an elaborate cadenza. Cadenzas -have in the long run a way of seeming to get nowhere. The snow fluttered down into tl,e banality of a Christmas-eard decora, tion Again the Sbelieyan “breath ot autumn’s being “blew too ineffectually into a party of sawdust dolls. TRIVIAL BALLETS.. I Pavlova, indeed, seems the only really | living creature in the Pavlova badet, I This fact enhances her vitality, vine. ! needs no enhancement, and s o seems too j frivolously employed. Not one o pieces had an idea in it, .and though Pavlova’s art -may make even trivialj ities enjoyable it is not its best use I “Snowflakes” last night was a set of j “classical’ ’ballet dances; (ninsic from Tchaikovsky’s “Nutcracker. ) Ea 1 irder “,Amarilla’ T (music mainly by <•»wr-nr.^ i*** * T’rir* rSiu u «»'

tragedienne without any adequate, tragedy, ■ ... v : Where the great artist had the scene to herself, in the Saint-Saens “Swan,” she came into her own: her performance—quivering, broken-winged, and exquisite—equalled that of the Old Palace Theatre days, which the audience’s delight even surpassed. .. For tho rest, Mine. Pavlova has a stahyart supporter, Mr Alexandra Vo-' liniii, and a numerous corps do ballet'. The music from first to last 'is of almost negligible interest, so 'that all the preliminary discussion about tbp- conducting of it—whether an Englishman c-ould possibly rise to it and in (how long a time—now looks rather foolish.