THE BALLET.
THE name of GRISI, great as it is in song, bids fair to become no less celebrated in the dance. A cousin of the Geist, CARLOTTA by name, made her debut at the King's Theatre on Tuesday, in a pas de deux with PERROT; and with one bound cleared all obstructions to success, and established her popularity. Her personal appearance propitiated public favour, and her performance secured it.
CARLOTTA Garsr is young, pretty, and gracefully proportioned. Her form is the model of a dancer. Her head is small, with a girlish tour- nure ; her body compact and light, and with limbs flowing and tapering : moreover, she has an instep that is a very pedestal for the animated statue of a danzatrice. Then her air and manner—to which TacrIoN1 owes so much—are captivating: her movements are naturally free and graceful, and the expression of her countenance—for, unlike most dancers, her face has expression—is unaffectedly gay and agreeable. Her style resembles TAGLIONI in grandeur, as the ballet-master would say, and also in ease and elegance ; but with more vivacity and impulse. If Gars' does not achieve the marvels that TAGLIONI does, she shows an aptitude for their accomplishment when practice shall have matured her powers ; and already she is a formidable rival of TAGLIONI. The best proof that we can give of her excellence is, that we were never less sensible of the mechanism of French dancing. It was assuredly "the poetry of motion," albeit the rhythm was artificial.
PERROT looked like an automaton dancer by contrast ; and the im- possibilities he performs—the effortless facility with which he twirls round and round, and bobs up and down—favour the idea. His tours de force make one laugh with admiration.
We were no less charmed than before with ST. ROMAIN, the scintil- lations of whose feet are quite dazzling. The spirit and grace of Cousrou are also admirable. He would be a more fitting partner for GRIM than PERROT.
Previous page
