John Adams High School - Clipper Yearbook (Ozone Park, NY)

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THE DANCING STAR gcdlez' EDITH HOLLAND THE LATE Anna Pavolova, considered by many to be the best interpreter of the ballet of all time, was best known perhaps for her interpretation of the dying swan. On one occasion someone asked her if she would ex- plain this particular performance to him. lf I could explain it in Words, she answered, I would never dance. I think the entire concept of the bal- let lies in this one sentence. The bal- let creates for the audience a story through movement and if Words were used it would lose its Whole signifi- cance. To enjoy this means of ex- pression a person has to use his imag- ination. In the field of the classical ballet The Bourgeois Gentilhommef' which is taken from the seventeenth century play by Moliere, is very popular. The story concerns a Mr. Iourdain whose one ambition is to rise to the aristoc- racy, and Cleonte, a young man who Wants to marry his daughter Louise. But, Mr. Iourdain disapproves because Cleonte is not of noble birth. Cleonte then disguises himself as the son of a great Turk and asks for l..ouise's hand in marriage. ln return for this favor Cleonte promises to make Mr. Iour- dain a great dignitary of Turkey. The ballet closes with the entire ensemble celebrating the affair with their color- ful dances. Coppeli, another. age-old ballet was first performed in 1870. lts more than 70 years duration proves that it hasn't lost it's appeal with the general public. The story is simpleg being about a young girl who pretends to be an animated doll and who sur- prises the toy-maker when he dis- covers that she is alive. Among the many other popular bal- lets are The Blue Danube by Io- hann Straussg Romeo and Iuliet, Swan Lake, Sleeping Beauty and the spectacular Scheherazade based on the first tale in the book The Thousand and One Nights. One of the newest of American bal- let productions is Fancy Free. This is a one act ballet concerning three sailors on shore leave in New York City. ln 1941 the world premiere of Rodeo was given and was ac- claimed by every city in America. The Governor of the State of Okla- homa greatly praised the creators of this ballet for Hglorifying and preser- ving the best traditions and culture of the Great Southwest. Still later in l945 the All-American ballet Frankie and Iohnny based on that popular folk song, was introduced at the New York City Center. h The public has definitely become conscious of the dance in the last few years, even women's fashions have been derived from the ballet. 10

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to creep over Al's face as he listened to the reports. The two figures ascended the dimly lit staircase, then walked to' the far corner of the hall. The door opened into a dingy, musty, old room. It's all yours for 55.00 a week. l'll take it. With this, Al showed the landlady to the door, and quickly closed it be- hind her. Silently, he Walked over to the cracked mirror hanging on the wall. He stared into it long and hard. What he saw, was a rather handsome man with a tall frame and broad shoulders. Despite his excellent build your attention was immediately drawn to his face. The green eyes were widely spaced and showed an abund- ance of human kindness and yet there was something mysterious about them. The Curley crop of brown hair was that of a boy, but it went Well with his generous mouth. Considering all these good points, Al didn't like what he saw. With a last glance and a shrug of his shoulders, he turned away from his reflection and prepared for bed. Soon Al's heavy breathing revealed that he was sound asleep. On the other side of the closed door was a man busily engaged in trying keys in the lock. After a long string of bitter unspoken oaths, he suc- ceeded, and on cat's feet, entered the room. For a long moment, he stared down intently at the sleeping figure. Sleep on my friend, he chuckled. Quickly he crossed the room. His nimble fingers searched Al's clothes to no avail. He tried once more, this time ransacking the bureau drawers. Again, he was forced to admit failure. With a scowl on his face, Al's mys- terious visitor departed and left Al to his dreams. The bright sun shone into the room, showing promise of a beautiful day, 9 Al arose, dressed, and went out to eat. He noticed nothing wrong but continued on his way. He chose a little restaurant in the middle of a cluttered up street. While Waiting for his toast and coffee his eyes roamed the room and finally alighted upon a man, the same man who had been under the corner street light yester- day. A few moments of concentration and Al said: That's him alright. Cream in your coffee sir? Huh! What? Oh yes, yes two lumps of sugar, two please. I think he's noticed me, yes l'm sure he has. Al watched the man get up quickly without even ordering and start for the door. Well l'll be, now where did he go to? Plainly in view was a long line of garbage cans, big ones, little ones, filled ones and empty ones. Well l'm not walking down in this forsaken spot. He turned around and proceeded on his way back to where he had come from. All of a sudden he stopped, a muffled sneeze reached his ears. Turning quickly, he followed the sound. There in the third garbage can from the end crouched Pete. Yes, it was Pete Lizingo, the escaped maniac. He was held fast in his tight quarters, so Al hadn't any trouble with him. A few hours later, Al was back in his boarding house. It was then, that Doctor Albin Bora, alias Mr. Nage noticed that Pete had paid him a visit. Al chuckled quietly to himself, but he didn't get what he was after. He slipped his hand under the pillow, and pulled out a neatly wrapped package. Beneath the wrap- pings were little capsules of dope.

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THE BELL at the abbey Was striking midday on a foggy afternoon in the little Scottish town of Combrae on Rothesay Island. The quaint little fish- ing town of gray stone was shrouded in a damp mist as its people went hurriedly down the little sidestreet from the fish quays to the market place. Among the shops which lined the street stood Ben Lenseric's grog shoppe. Hardwood rustic tables and benches, a few kegs and a tap were the only furniture which filled the little room. At night when the fishing fleet returned it was the meeting place for the tired crews. Over large mugs of grog the fishermen exchanged yarns and would relate the happen- ings at the grounds that day. Now the shop was empty, all for a tall blonde lad approaching his seven- teenth year who busied himself scrub- bing the tables until they were spot- lessly white. Ben had adopted the lad some twelve years hence, and as he grew older the bonds between them steadily increased. The story was told that the schooner Black Fish found him lashed to a small piece of timber drifting in the North Channel in the autumn of 1841. Since nobody had heard of a sinking and no inquiries were made, old Ben, tak- ing a fancy to the boy, adopted him. That night the usual group came to the shoppe, singing, smoking and ex- changing yarns. The boy, whom everybody called Chris, went about waiting on' tables and filling empty mugs with grog, When early morn arrived the fishermen returned to their ships and Chris went about cleaning up before retiring. Suddenly Chris heard a feeble voice beckoning from the darkness behind him and slowly looked about. There in the dull light of the oil lamp, Chris saw an old man clad in rags. A stranger he was, for Chris knew everybody about town, 11 HELLSHHO NOSHD mr' I-1 U3 ll-I