"Russia is the land of art." So said an American journalist, an acquaintance of mine, during a conversation that I had with him.

Nowhere in the world have art, the drama, music and the ballet reached such heights as they have reached in Russia.

Everybody agrees that the Russian dancers, whether men or women, are the best in the whole world. Right now there are staying in Chicago several members of the famous family of Russian dancers.

One of them, Mr. Konikov by name, I visited a few days ago.

He is a young man, not very tall, slender, elegant, with fair hair. He told me some episodes from his life.

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He was still a young boy when he began to study at the State Ballet School in St. Petersburg. Having graduated from his school, he has been performing as a member of the ballet troupe of the Mariinsky opera. Four years ago he left Russia and came to America. Like every other Russian ballet artist he got immediately a number of engagements.

He has been dancing with the artists of Mr. Mordkin's troupe, dancing at the Metropolitan Opera in New York, with the San Carlo Opera, at Mr. Ziegfeld's celebrated Follies, and with some other troupes. Soon it will be two years since he came to Chicago. For several weeks he has been dancing at the McVicker's Theater. At present Mr. Komikov dances comparatively rarely. "I prefer," so he says," to teach, to instruct young Americans or our own countrymen in the art of dancing. I shall demonstrate to them the highest technique of ballet dancing to be had in he world - that technique which we have been acquiring 3since our early youth in the schools of Moscow and St. Petersburg."

Mr. Komikov's school, bearing the name of Russian Ballet School, is locatad on Van Buren Street, not far from Michigan Avenue, in the Athenus Building, which is almost entirely occupied by various musical studies.

Many Russians are studying with Mr. Komikov. Among his pupils there is one that deserves to be mentioned: it is Miss Mozheikov, who is an almost finished ballet dancer. Miss Mozheikov has been dancing with great success with Mr. Komikov before the Russian public of Chicago at the ball of the Russkii Viestnik.

G. Gorsky.