The antique Greek dance, after sculptured and painted figures . 507. 344. The God Who Leads Precedes Three Women Without Hold-ing Their Hands.—A votive bas-relief discovered on the Acropolis,and belonging to the end of thesixth century B. C, gives a repre-sentation of this subject. Hermes,enveloped in an ample cloak, pre-cedes the three women, who step tothe music of the double in Ionian costume, they ad-vance heavily, their feet touchingthe ground with the whole sole. Bya painful effort, the sculptor lifted the left heel of one of them (). Fig. 507 shows the manner in whic
The antique Greek dance, after sculptured and painted figures . 507. 344. The God Who Leads Precedes Three Women Without Hold-ing Their Hands.—A votive bas-relief discovered on the Acropolis,and belonging to the end of thesixth century B. C, gives a repre-sentation of this subject. Hermes,enveloped in an ample cloak, pre-cedes the three women, who step tothe music of the double in Ionian costume, they ad-vance heavily, their feet touchingthe ground with the whole sole. Bya painful effort, the sculptor lifted the left heel of one of them (). Fig. 507 shows the manner in which the women held one anothers wrists. The dance isonly a rhythmic walk, withoutcharacter. On another bas-relief Pan issubstituted for Hermes, provinghis identity by his cloven on the syrinx, he pre-cedes the three Nymphs. Thelittle procession winds toward a bearded river god at the left, whosepresence indicates that the three female figures are rightly calledNymphs. They are covered by long cloaks which fall from their. 508. 214 CHOREGRAPHY shoulders (Fig. 508). The cadenced walk gives a calm and gracefulexpression to their movement. The presence of Pan does not alterthe simplicity of its religious significance of the dance. For the same reason, when Hermesis the leader, there is an atmosphereof dignity about the cortege. Of thethree females who follow the god, thetwo last hold each other by the hand,the one in front being separated fromthem. This one lifts the hem of hertunic, from which peep some walk on the half-toe, which is thespecial step for the dancers who fig-ure on the later sculptures (18).The charming painting reproducedin Fig. 510 is almost a parody on the solemn dances. Three womenin file approach a man made up to look like Silenus; the first holdsher mantle together with one hand while the other clasps the the next woman, who also holds the hand of the third. The whole
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Keywords: ., bookcentury1900, bookdecade1910, bookpublisherl, booksubjectdance
