COVENT GARDEN BALLET

Waikato Times, Volume 124, Issue 20728, 11 February 1939, Page 17 (Supplement)

COVENT GARDEN BALLET

A brilliant company MAGNIFICENT STAGING The Covent Garden Russian Ballet, which is having a tremendously successful season at present in Auckland, is to appear in Hamilton on Thursday night next. The programmes so far presented have created intense interest and given the greatest delight to lovers of the ballet and to others who went in the hope that they would be able to understand the marvellous miming of the artists. It says much for the Art of the ballet that those who were uniniated came away from the performance singing paens in praise of the fare presented. Some of the leading dancers and creators of modern ballet in the world to-day are in the Ballet. The personnel includes Irina Baranova and Tatiana Roubichinska, graduates from “won-der-children” into two of the greatest living ballerinas. Baranova danced her way to fame in “Les Presages,” when she was only 13. Riabouchinska is the daughter of a famous dancer; and is unquestionably the most individual of the young dancers. She excels in “Carnaval” (to be presented in N.Z.) as the Butterfly. Of the male dancers, none is more famous than Anton Dolin (Patrick Healy-Kay), Britain’s most noted male exponent. Handsome Anton Dolin is classed as the most preeminent of his kind. David Lichnine owes his expertness to Nijinska, under whom he trained. He is a creator as well as a dancer, and in romantic or classical roles has no peer. Tamara Grigorieva is a product of Preobrajenska. The company numbers over 100. Michel Fokine figures prominently in the ballet's" activities for the famous creator of some of the loveliest ballets ever conceived, supervises all his own works. Antal Dorati, who directs the orchestra, is one of the most noted of the younger chefs d’orchestra to have attained international fame. Over all is the presiding genius of M. Victor Dandre (husband of the late Anna Pavlova) who is assisted on the directional side by German Sevastianov, husband of Irina Baranova. Serge Grigorieff (of the Diaghileff tradition) is with the Covcnt Garden Ballet as Regisseur-General Included in the dancers are several who were in New Zealand with the Monte Carlo Russian Ballet, a few years ago. | Injured Dancer Re-appears j David Lichine, one of the principals ,of the Russian Ballet, who sustained an injury to his knee some months i ago, which prevented him from ap- ! pearing during the Australian tour, made his re-appearance with the com- ! panv at Auckland on Thursday night, jas the Nero in “Les Presages.” ! It was considered a memorable event ,by ballet and public. Fortunate Hamilton I Hamilton is fortunate, for it is one of only two provincial towns —the other is Palmerston North—to be visited by the Covent Garden Russian Ballet. There is keen disappointment in New Plymouth, Wanganui, Hastings and Napier, which it has been found impossible to include in the present tour.