S. Hurok Presents; A Memoir of the Dance WorldHurok, Sol
History
S. Hurok Presents; A Memoir of the Dance World
Hurok, Sol
Ballet -- History
“Yes, yes,” she continued, “as the applause, that very surprising
applause rang out at the end, the Lord Mayor turned to me and said,
‘Lady, you’re _in_!’ Just like that. Now will you please translate for
me what it is? Tell me, is that good or bad?”
Laughingly I replied, “What do you think?”
“I really don’t know” was her serious and sincere response.
The simple fact was that Dame Ninette de Valois, D.B.E., D. Litt., to
whose untiring efforts Sadler’s Wells owes its success, its existence,
its very being, honestly thought the company was failing in New York.
This most gala of gala nights was crowned by a large and extremely gay
supper party given by Mayor O’Dwyer, at Gracie Mansion, the official
residence of the Mayor of the City of New York. It was a warm and balmy
night, with an Indian Summer moon--one of those halcyon nights all too
rare. Because of this, it was possible to stage the supper in that most
idyllic of settings, on the spacious lawn overlooking the moon-drenched
East River, with the silhouettes of the great bridges etched in silver
lights against the glow from the hundreds of colored lights strung over
the lawn. Beneath all this gleamed the white linen of the many tables,
the sparkle of crystal, the gloss of the silver.
Two orchestras provided continuous dance music, the food and the
champagne were ineffable. It was a party given by the Mayor: to honor
the Sadler’s Wells Ballet and to cement those cultural ties between the
two great world centers, London and New York. What better means are
there for mutual understanding and admiration?
There was, however, a delay on the part of the company in leaving the
Metropolitan Opera House, a quite extended delay. Three large buses
waited at the stage door, manned by Police Department Inspectors in
dress uniforms, with gold badges. But this was the first time the
company had worn the new evening creations I have mentioned. It took
longer to array themselves in these than it did for them to prepare for
the performance. As a matter of fact, Margot Fonteyn and Moira Shearer
were the last to be ready, each of them ravishing and stunning, the
dark, flashing brunette beauty of Fonteyn in striking contrast to the
soft, pinkish loveliness of Shearer.
Then it was necessary for our staff and the police to form a flying
wedge to clear a path from the stage door to the waiting buses through
the tightly-packed crowd that waited in Fortieth Street for a glimpse of
the triumphant stars.
Safe aboard at last, off the cavalcade started, headed by a Police
Department squad car, with siren tied down, red lights flashing,
together with two motorcycle police officers fifteen feet in advance and
the same complement, squad car and outriders, bringing up the rear of
the procession, through the red traffic lights, thus providing the
company with yet another American thrill.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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