The appetite for vehemence increases, and a knot of young men dash impetuously forward, slapping their thighs resoundingly as they hurl themselves about with all the skill and daring of a practised acrobat. After them the bowmen dart once more into the fray--for fray by this time it has almost become. Their captain leaps and bounds before them, tossing his bow high into the air, catching it as it falls in mid-career, making as if to loose an arrow from the twanging string. The chanted chorus swells in a triumphant _crescendo_. The warriors, in strenuous emulation of their leader, goad themselves to still fiercer transports, until with a succession of mad rushes, rank upon rank of prancing legs and brandished arms, this wild barbaric display is brought to its terminating climax. [Illustration] [Illustration] [Illustration] The detailed movements of this tribal dance are of no great moment. What is of interest is the robust expression which they give to the virile impulses of an untamed race, not yet sapped by civilisation of its vigour. The movements, violent in themselves, are executed with a vehemence and energy significant in its savage spontaneity. One has a sense of latent joy in violence, of every shape and form, for violence’ own sake. Without the songs which should accompany them, the dances suffer some detraction. They represent the furthest extreme from formality to which the dance can go, and the tremendous exuberance which inspires them seems to demand an extra outlet. As one watches the violent gymnastics of Adolf Bolm, of Fedorowa and the rest, it seems astounding (and inappropriate) that they should indulge such boisterous vigour in _silence_. In fact, one wonders how they keep themselves from shouting! Not even Borodin’s fiercely martial music supplies the deficiency. If ever there was an occasion when dance and song should be one, this is it. [Illustration] LE DIEU BLEU. HINDU LEGEND IN ONE ACT BY JEAN COCTEAU AND DE MADRAZO. MUSIC BY REYNALDO HAHN. SCENES AND DANCES BY MICHEL FOKINE. SCENERY AND COSTUMES DESIGNED BY LÉON BAKST.