Felix Cherniavsky - Maud Allan Australia Tour 1914

Added 18th Mar 2022 by Beth Dobson (Archives and Programming Assistant, DCD) / Last update 18th Mar 2022

Maud Allan 639 51 2008-1-35.jpg
Maud Allan 639 51 2008-1-35.jpg
(No description added)

Felix Cherniavsky - Maud Allan Australia Tour 1914

Discover Placeholder
Description
The description of this Item
Collections
The collections that this item appears in.
Maud Allan Research Collection
Tags
Tag descriptions added by humans
Identified Objects
Description of the objects in this Item

Auto-generated content

Auto Tags
Tag descriptions added automatically
text letter book receipt photo
Auto Objects
Auto-generated identification of objects in this Item
Auto Description
An autogenerated description of this Item
Text
Face count
Auto-generated number of faces in the Item
0
Accession Number
DCD's accession number for this Item. It is the unique identifier.
51.2008-1-35
Original Filename
Extracted text
WILL AUSTRALIA LIKE ME ? ' The Theatre Melbourne March 2 ( Mbowen The 2 he L , Magage nosolutely Ма 79144 ucha 1914 . than the ( bourne ) months had storm d a A Maud Allan Interview . I went , " said the editor of a reat Indian daily , " to see Maud Allan as a Philistine . I came away ibsolutely won over . For the rest well , you have my criticism of the performance . “ The enthusiastic praise of that criticism astonished me no less enthusiasm displayed by the Indian alone .. But advance booking ar press generally , especi rangements made it impossible for Ulyas but a few Bombay to be played after Miss previously I Allan had recovered , and no less witnessed the than twenty thousand rupees had that the ap- to be returned to disappointed proaching visit of ticket - holders . Miss Allan had raised The Calcutta season opened bril throughout the length liantly . I had the good fortune to and breadth of India , even extending to the far - away Straits Settle see the first performance . Mendel ments and China . To ssohn's " Spring Song , " Schubert's understand the marvel " Am Meer , ” and Chopin's " Fune worked by Miss Allan ral March ” will live long in my It must first be under memory ; but soon , of course , Aus stood that for centuries tralians will have an opportunity the natives of India of seeing for themselves the won have looked upon all derful art of Maud Allan . After dancing - women a s the performance I had the pleasure morally questionable . At the present time the wa unrest of a small sec tion in India makes it very necessary that British prestige should be firmly upheld . Many men of standing feared that the coming of a British dancer would have a harmful influ ence , and not few would have gone so far 28 to condemn the dancer without a trial , and not even allow her to appear in India . Holburn writes to However , they George S. rec koned without their “ The Theatre ” from Port Darwin , artist , for Miss Allan under date February 7 : came , and danced , and I am now on my way to Thursday conquered ; Island , where Madame Nordica lies cri . and the tically ill -- So much so that the entire chorus of adverse press tour of the East has had to be cancelled . criticism turned into a This is very uwfortunate . as everything chorus of praise . In pointed to the tour being one of the most successful they have ever had ont Bombay , after the first here . In Calcutta the booking was performance , those who enormous , and , indeed , right through it record . working constituted had been loudest in their denunciation led part of the tour on advantageous ternis with a local theatrical syndicate , and the box - office rush , while had big guarantees for the other towns Managers McLeod and Anyway , it is but the fortune of war I will only and we must just face it . Edie stood by with a stay at Thursday Island long enough to smile like " the smile fix up business matter's with Mr. Sin on the face of the mons , and then I will take the first boa ! home and very glad I will be to tiger . ” But ticket - hold I will , there . back to dear old Sydney . in voll ers were doomed to fore . all being well , disappointment , course of a week or two . for alightly - sprained tendon on the first night had Sent Miss Allan to the hills at Darjeeling for rest ; and it seemed al most poetic justice that her opponents were , after all , denied the op portunity of seeing this artist , whose faith fulness to the tenets of art , and whose chaste and classical perform Ances — had been , in their case , too It seems re markable that at this time of day , 4 British community , there could naye been so many who were un ware of the perfect artistry of thig remarkable girl - whose per formances , for sheer delicacy and Deauty , must in their way stand of meeting Miss Allan , and her dancing is no more charming than her dainty self . " Well ; and so you come from Australia ? " said the dancer . " How do you think Australians will like my work ? ” “ Like you ? " I replied ; " they'll eat you ! " The dancer laughed , and then went on : - " Well , I've always wanted to go to Australia . All my friends who have been there tell me of the enthusiasm of Australian audiences , and I know it's a land of sunshine and brightness and cheery people , so I am looking for ward very happily to my visit , which follows after the tour of China and Japan . So I should be there in April . " I was always fond of music , " added Miss Allan , when asked to review her career ; " and as a girl I studied the piano for five years in Berlin . I gained an extensive knowledge of the instrument in that art - centre . When I had followed my profession for a time , illness caused me to temporarily give up my piano , and my mother took me to Italy . There I studied literature and sculpture and Greek poses ; and the idea of illustrating music by dancing coming to me , I developed it into what you have already seen . Not without some trepidation I eventually gave my first performance in private in Vienna , and afterwards by request at the Conservatorium where I had studied in Berlin , the professors and students being present . So en thusiastic were those who had seen the performance that I began to make appearances , privately at first , in the other European capi tals ; and offers from London fol . lowed which I at first refused . 1 ultimately signed a contract to ap pear at the Palace Theatre for two weeks , and I did not leave there for two years . " From that time Miss Allan's sen sational success is well known . “ You have , of course , performed before Royalty on a number of oc casions , Miss Allan ? " I ventured . " Now don't drag Royalty into it , " said the dancer , laughing ; " for I have had so many real meetings with Royalty , and have so often ex perienced their kindness and inte rest , that I'm not trotting out any ' incidents ' just now . " As I was departing the dainty little dancer waved her hand gaily in farewell as she said , " Good - bye ; and just you tell the people of Aus tralia I'm longing to see their coun try - oh , so much ; and I do hope they'll like me . " -GEORGE S. HOLBURN . 2 was sce a great tenlus - whose tardily recognised . The followen she cle will helporeadas k dende whether , that he amonget the matters Mano Alhem the shewached