1951-11-27 — Page 4

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THE CHINA MAIL, TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 27, 1951.

HIGHLAND QUEEN

SCOTCH WHISKY

"Cummings

London Express Bervios

UMBERTO GETS THE LESSER GEORGE

(Our Own Correspondent)

LONDON.

THE King has waived a

THE

rule of the Order of the Garter for the benefit of ex- King Umberto of Italy.

Umberto's father, King Victor Emmanuel, was made a Knight of the Garter by Queen Victoria in 1891. He was the Renior Knight in 1940, when he was expelled from the Order at the King's command. This was the time when Italy entered the war

as France wes falling.

The rich insignia of the Garter remained in Victor Emmanuel's possession until the collapse of the Mussolini regime. Then the

Italian royal treasure was jopted,

Only one part of the insignia remained: a golden medal known as the Lesser George. This is worn from a 4in. Blue ribbon over the left shoulder of Knights of the Garter.

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By HAZEL MAY

A BRITISH

TRIUMPH-THE

SADLERS WELLS BALLET

London.

ADLERS Wells Ballet. which is at present on tour in America, proved a far greater draw for our foreign visitors this year than most of the star attractions of the

of Britain.

Festival

is an all-

Sadlers Welis the-year-round attraction. It shares with Test matches, Wimbledon and Royal wed. dings the honour of being on cold pave- queued for ments all

Every night. seat is invariably sold thre days after booking opens. In fact, so unwieldy are the ballet queues when the book. ing charts come out that the management has devised a system of queue tickets uni. in London's theatre que world.

Queues form along Floral Street on the first day (anci the night before) for all the cheaper seats; when they reach the box oflice after several hours' wait, they

Auburn-haired Motra Shearer as Odile in "Swan Lake."

are handed a queue ticket reputation increases steadi- telling them what time 1. ly. An amazing achievement return to buy the actual when one

chestra glides on muted strings into a soaring over- ture.

A sadness shadowed the opening of this autumn season. Constant Lambert, who became musical direc- for to the ballet in its chrysalis stage in 1934. way three artistic one of its directors. His death robbed the company of a powerful creative force. He left Dame

And Frederick Ashton, the prin- with cipal choreographer.

Ninette

sole responsibility for the administration of the Com-

pany.

Strangely enough, Lambert's most original creative work for the ballet, "Tireslas," came only " month Ег two before his death. He was disappointed by the lukewarm reception given to it by most of the critics in London, although it caused sensation a1 the Edinburgh Festival.

Greek Legend

D

In the Russian tradition. Violetta Elvin in "Ba}}abile."

1940 straight from the Bolshol Schoet in Moscow and the Rus- slan bailet.

There is one justifiable cri- theism of the Company. They have concentrated on ballerinas 10 the detriment

male 01 dancers. This may be because

there is a smaller intake in the school of young Englishmen

anxious

career.

the

to make ballet their

Now that Robert

Helpmann

Victor

THE LESSER GEORGE

All that was left,

has retired, they are left with

Emmanuel's Umberto, succeeded to the only two outstanding young

throne in 1946. But after a dancers, Michael Soames and reign of only a few weeks be Zealander, followed his father into exile. John Field Victor Emmanuel died in 1947. has considerable promise, but

In normal times the Garter have been re- turned

This to Windsor.

LA always done when a Knight dies

young

New Alexander Grant.

at present lacks the technique insignia would of the other two.

There is also the "second or is deprived of his place in the company" the Sadlers Wells Order. Theatre Ballet, a talented crowd

But from his home at Estoril,

the King. He told how nearly

of young men and girls from in Portugal, Umberto wrote to the Sadlers Wells School. From this company are drawn the re- cruits for the main company.

all the insignia had been looted, recalled King Victor's

Great pride in his Carter, and asked Among them ате many to be allowed to keep the LesJET promising young dancers, in George as a personal memento of cluding the Hitle brown-eyed his father. girl, Elaine Fifield, dancing this It is learned that the King has year for the first time

as the agreed to this request. So the George of Victor appear to accompaniment heroine of "Coppelia," and being Lesser

the o: strange, reedy music, the one hailed by the critics--and Dame Emmanuel will become an heir- another loom in the dispossessed House dancer twined on the shoulders Ninette herself - 86 is based

The dance that great ballerina In the making. of Savoy. on the of the other.

follows Is acrobatic in the ex- striking with effects,

treme, and so exactly reproduces and iş

the impression of the writhing hauntingly danced by Margot of two snakes that it held the Fonteyn and Michael Soames, entire opera house audience

"Tiresias" remembers that

Jegend,

seat ticket. At the time it was founded by Ninette Greek stated they return and de Valois only 20 years scenery and

queue all over again. Book ago.

ing a ticket in any of the

None Finer

I've just discovered 'I'm not English

By CHAPMAN PINCHER

London. Indian apparently makes him

THOUSANDS of people Trish

reasonably-priced seats is The dazzling gala nights to certainly one of the must tense and silent the night i saw quite a day's work, and can at Covent Garden-charity notew.rthy of the Wells' recent it danced.

and the productions.

Brilliant stage effects achieve only be attempted by performances

blets—

impression of Tiresias students, visitors, or the premieres of new

The dramatic subject has an the

in the speed of S fast-shrinking band of non-

the essentially musical form. It is changing, are a major item on workers.

London social diary. Usual a triptych, in which the last lightning flash, from gold into ly in winter, these galas part balances the first but with goddess. One moment we have reference to the second-the are almost always attended basic scheme of most sonata and Soames dancing with virile mag-

who have always prided All people who were born by some of the Royal song forms. Since the outline nificence and suddenly there is

a swirl of dancers.

the Commonwealth is easily told in

a crash of themselves on being Eng abroad in family, and are very much of the story

and whose parents were also mime, there 15 cords and a full-dress

behold-Fonteyn lish are due for a shock. occasion. The testure and

born there seem to be affected, classical attention to pattern stands in his

place in all her We in Britain are apt to people who still possess and clour on the stage and the wild beauty.

They will learn, as I did,

They get their passports, but be a little incredulous when laras wear them, and the formal asymmetry-within-sym-

that no matter how long they are marked "British we hear it said that we great red-plush-and-gilt in- metry of the action is tremend-

Frederick Ashton's new bal- they have lived in Britain, subject" instead of "Citizen of the finest terior of London's

most cusly effective.

the United Kingdom." ict, to Ravel's music, "Daphnis they have not been entitled ballets in the world. Many traditional theatre sparkles The leading part for ballerian and Chloe," is another striking to call themselves English- The British Nationality Act experts declare there is no and glitters with fine is ravishingly interpreted by addition to the Ballet's reper- or Scots or Welsh-for the was brought in as a result of a finer

anywhere. jewels, troupe

rich

Commonwealth eritic at satins and Fonteyn.

.at conférence last three years.

which nine Empire countries, With French ballet de luxurious furs.

Edinburgh Festival described her legend, it contains a striking in this role as "creative beyond

stimulated by national pride, by teriorating-in Paris there

captured all exccution, perhaps even be-

Under a new set of laws which decided to introduce separate the is ballet everywhere, but It is a wonderful moment

pirate have been quietly coming into citizenship laws. yond the notation of choreo- shepherdess among little of it outstanding-and when the theatre lights go graphy,

comparable

these people to, and gang. The scenery is perhaps torce since 1948,

since the have been denied citizenship of America sacrificing classical down, the hundreds of little inimitable as, inspired melody." the most enchanted

the United Kingdom, Instead, frst and still-remembered vet precision in a ruthless drive red-shaded lights cluttered

The uncanny snake dance is

they have been made citizens of for "The for self-expression and sur round the dress circle die another feature of this most un-

Sleeping Beauty" Pakistan, Ceylon, Rhodesia, or DEFORE then all members of Wells' out very slowly and the or- usual ballet. The two snakes many years ago.

Commonwealth the Commonwealth and the realist effect, the

U.K. were simple British

possess one

One

the toire.

dance

Also based on a Greck

the

New Stars

isome other

country.

of

After 37 years of patriotic and subjects. law-abiding life in this laland, I have been told by the Home been settled in India for several

Office that I am legally .an

Who are the stars of the bal-Indian. let today?

English families who have

generations are now Indian citizens permanently. They are And to double the muddle legally no more English, than the Fonteyn, of course, tops than the now laws have almost wildest tribesman. all. The Miss Hookham who certainly made my father an came from China to the Sadlers Irishman, Wells School In her early teens has been dancing since she was

four years old. She has been the Company's principal bal- lerina since Alicia Markova left the Welly in 1938.

The laws confer citizenship of some sort on certain "outsiders" like me, but they, bar others who must temporarily remain with- out citizenship of any kind...'. When I told my "pukka sahib parents come from old Yorkshire soldiering fami- father that his only son la legally lies. My father happened to be an Indian hia face purplod. serving with his Majesty's Army When I told him that he la Next to her comes the youth in India when I arrives. And almost certainly a citizen of the ful Moira Shearer, red-headed under the British Nationality Irish Republle his Royalist blood and light as thistledown with a Act which came into force early almost bolled,

in 1949 I bave been denied

U.K.

·Jolo-de-vivré which aweys citizenship and thrown into the

takes porsersion of her dancing, lap of Mother India,“

The Home Office - Baya wo should be granted United King 'dom citizenship if we aignet

Beryl Grey is a classical dancer My father happened to be form No. 1 and made anled of brilliant technique, and many born in what is now Eire because declarations before a Commls- dolos are danced" by two South his parents were with a British sloner" for Oathula va bungahlaku African girls, Panelu May and regiment stationed there. And

The sight of my father doing

a young girl of great promise, the law which makes me as this after more than 40 YOUT Nadia Norina.

Agderving in the Army should be memorable. But it will be worke

for the privilege of incal ourselves Englishrauni manin.

PINCHRA le an old Yorkshire A great future is predicted name for the man who looker

thefilado al petard were made for the beautiful Violetta Elvili animae wore KICY CRAPMANN who pined: the Company, in", medlard GOVERN WESLE