• BALLET
Grand Ballet du Marquis de Cuevas. (Stoll.)
APART from the undeniable quality of its leading dancers, there is something I felt about the de Cuevas company the other night which very much appealed to me— their air of purpose and modesty, to which any form of exhibitionism would be com- pletely alien. In this, their opening pro- gramme, they presented two ballets by Ana Ricarda, both new to London. La Teruilia, the first, was bitty and rather uninteresting, but the second seemed to me to be most beautifully conceived and performed, a simple tale told with great clarity and economy. Pictorially, thanks to the designs of Celia Hubbard, it is reminiscent of the delightful Bonozzo Gozzoli. Dona Ines de Castro opens w:th sedate dignified move- ments as the betrothed—the Infanta (Ana Ricarda)—and Don Pedro (Skibine) arc presented to each other. Then, swiftly and surely, the ensuing tragedy is suggested as Don Pedro escapes to dance a secret love pus de deux with Dofia Ines (Rosella High- tower). Her murder, her macabre after- death coronation and the killing of her betrayer by the half-demented lover, bring the ballet to its climax and end. One is left with the feeling that Ana Ricarda knew exactly what she wanted to do and that she was able to impart it so clearly that a fine, unified ballet was achieved.
Serge Golovine, who, on his last visit, created such a good impression, retains his place in our esteem. He was wildly acclaimed in the pas de deux in Black Swan for his amazing elevation and lightness, as well as for his clean-cut batterie and precision
of balance. His partner, Hightower, is strong and brilliant, but I preferred her as the gentle Dona Ines, to which role—despite a lack of feeling in the poise of head and shoulders, she brought much grace and beauty.
LILLIAN BROWSE
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