MAKE A MEME
View Large Image
| View Original: | Ondine_-_Illustrated_London_News.png (2000x1540) | |||
| Download: | Original | Medium | Small | Thumb |
| Courtesy of: | commons.wikimedia.org | More Like This | ||
| Keywords: Ondine - Illustrated London News.png The Shadow Dance at the première of the ballet Ondine choreography by Jules Perrot and music by Cesare Pugni Original article follows <center> H<small>ER</small> M<small>AJESTY'S</small> T<small>HEATRE</small><br /> <small>THE SHADOW DANCE FROM ONDINE </small> </center> Of its own beauty is the mind diseased <br />And fevers into false creation says Byron; but we require some stronger more satisfactory reason why in sober health we become occasionally indifferent to the beautiful realities of our own earth and fly to the immortals for ecstacies that after all are but a poet's dream Everybody is not a Numa and therefore cannot indulge in the blissful phantasy that he holds intercourse with moulds beyond the earth; and yet we would if we could such is our longing after immortality Egeria sweet creation of some heart<br />Which found no mortal resting-place so fair<br />As thine ideal breast how often hast thou been conjured up to our imagination But hence unreal mockeries hence and leave us to our task not of criticism on the present occasion but that of recording one of the most beautiful productions that any stage ever boasted of The ballet of Ondine everybody by this time knows is founded on La Motte Fouqué's fanciful and interesting story of Undine but does not adhere very faithfully to the original Never mind narration must give way to impersonation particularly when we see such a step-revealing goddess as Cerito sic should be Cerrito in the principal character Her dancing the pas de l'ombre which is illustrated above is in the highest degree beautiful and inclines us to agree more than ever with the old Greek assertion that Dancing is silent poetry Nothing can be more enchanting than Cerito's innocent surprise when she first sees her shadow and thinks it or makes you believe she thinks it to be something tangible and lovely in outline as herself The dioramic effect of the scene in which this pas occurs reflects the highest possible credit upon Grieve the artist No other stage-painter is so acquainted with the use of compound lights commonly called mediums It is a splendid specimen of skill in the art and it is only to be regretted that such things are so evanescent for we could see them a thousand times with yet unwearied eyes Although Cerito is la déesse of the scene we must not be indifferent to the exquisite grace of Guy Stephan She is one who could take the place of any more talked-of rival and leave criticism nothing to do but applaud with rapture In fact the danseuse that in the presence of Taglioni was honoured with an encore of one of her pas must be allowed to range herself on level with the best Illustrated London News 1843-07-15 author PD-old Ondine 1843 Fanny Cerrito 19th-century engravings of ballerinas 1843 engravings ILN 1843 | ||||
