Ritual Action of the Ancestors

A brief dance summons the past. The space tightens into a processional corridor: stepped ascent running to a sharp vanishing point, flanked by ranks of elders whose bear‑masked faces stare from circular medallions. Standard‑like panels and angled rafters repeat in measured intervals until the eye falls into trance. Across the stair, two diagrammatic paths—one answering the other—trace the choreography the girls have invoked. At the center seam the way narrows: the Chosen One is delivered to the keeping of the old wise men. This is ritual as law—repetition becoming command—where pulse turns geometry into custody and the ancestors take their place.

Historical context on Ballets Russes and later versions: V&A article.