Word: labyrinth
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Manhattanites waited for the melting watches, the hirsute oysters, the crutches, the lamb chops, that are the hallmarks of Surrealist Salvador Dali. But there were few such symbol-crashes in the ballet Labyrinth, given its world première at the Metropolitan Opera House last week...
While the Metropolitan orchestra placidly unfolded the famed "heavenly lengths" of Schubert's Seventh Symphony, the Ballet Russe de Monte Carlo toe-danced the Greek legend of Theseus killing the virgin-devouring Minotaur, and finding his way out of the monster's labyrinth by following Ariadne's thread. Against Dali's brightly painted, more or less relevant backgrounds, the confused milling of the lavishly costumed Greeks, pigeons, roosters, dolphins and waves did little credit to the Ballet Russe's seasoned choreographer, Leoride Massine...
...Labyrinth opened the ninth U.S. season of Russian ballet. Chichi as ever was its first-night audience, implemented by the rich, well-furred, well-elbowed European refugees who are increasingly noticeable in Manhattan smart-spots. Beaming as ever was the impresario of the ballet, smart Showman S. (for Solomon) Hurok...
Bursting into this gigantic city the [enemy] will come into a stone labyrinth, where every house will be for them either a riddle, or a threat, or a mortal danger. Whence can they expect a blow? From the window? From the attic? From the cellar? From around the corner? Everywhere. At our disposition are rifles, machine guns, hand grenades. We can cover some streets with barbed-wire entanglements, leave others open and turn them into traps. It is only necessary that some thousands of men should firmly decide not to give...
Leon Trotsky wrote these words about the defense of Leningrad in October 1919, when the Whites were pressing the Seventh Red Army northward into the city. But the words echoed like a great roar in the labyrinth last week...