BALLET
The Yugoslav State Company. • (Cambridge Theatre.) AFTER the last exhibition of folk-dancing at the Cambridge Theatre, I must confess I was not wildly excited at the idea of seeing another. But, as soon as the curtain went up on the Yugoslav State Company on Monday night, I realised that we were to be given something of first-class quality.. The evening was hot, and the performers' strenuous dances in heavy costumes might have made us feel uncom- fortable physically, but the opposite happened. It turned out to be one of the most delightful evenings for a long while ; and how re- freshing it was to be reassured that joy had not entirely forsaken this twentieth-cedury world of ours. For these dancers—who I believe may be termed " semi-professional," in that they have to earn their livelihood by means other than- dancing—have the joie-de-vivre which suggests that they are by no means blind to life but have learned to understand it. • Admittedly, their freshness of attack may be partly due to the fact that they do not suffer, as do professionals, from over- work and excessive routine ; on the other hand they have attained a precision and unity which one imagined to be only possible after years of uninterrupted collaboration. Thus they-have captured the best of both worlds.
As the explicit programme-notes point out, Yugoslav folk dancing varies widely according to region. Symbolism is strong in the dances of those southern parts which so long endured a subjugation to the Turks, and naturally these dances, whose theme is suffering and defiance, have profound solemnity which is in marked contrast with the romantic dances of the Dalmatian coast and the bubbling gaiety of Croatia. The latter are done with incredible speed and agility, and the performers—all of whom have an innate sense of rhythm—travel swiftly and effortlessly, their weight thrown forward, their feet swishing, their arms quivering and their coins and bells jangling in a kind of fantastic St. Vitus dance. The company will perform in London for four weeks, and, though somewhat, specialised,
it is too fascinating a show to miss. LILLIAN BROWSE.
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