the air. But the mood of lyrical reflection is broken as the hands suddenly clap out the rhythm, echoing the melody that fills the rehearsal room.

A toss of the elegantly classical head and a patient smile as she steps forward to correct, for perhaps the 20th time, the exact nuance of position in the pas de deux that is unfolding before her.

The ritual is as old as ballet itself, as the star of one generation hands on the unique knowledge of her art to the next.

The star on this occasion is British ballerina Belinda Wright and she is teaching the love duet from one of the world's great ballets to two young dancers who will appear in next week's Bermuda Civic Ballet's production of La Sylphide in the grounds of Government House.

"I am very thrilled to be mounting this ballet in Bermuda and it's nice from the dancers' point of view because, being so isolated from the rest of the dance world, it is very good for them to be part of a creative production and to understand something about live theatre.'' After a long career as one of Britain's leading classical ballerinas, Miss Wright now travels the world in a slightly different guise, as she mounts the world's best-loved ballets for companies on five continents.

Based at the Zurich Opera House, she rarely stays put in one place for long.

She produced the first production of Giselle in China, with the Central Ballet of Peking and recently assisted husband Jelko Yuresha (who is well known to Bermuda audiences) in staging a major production of Cinderella in Iceland.

"It's really because of Jelko's long association with Patricia Gray and the Civic Ballet that I am here,'' she explains.

"Whenever he appeared here in the past, I always seemed to be busy dancing or teaching in some other part of the world. So I'm very glad to be here at last, because I've heard so much about Bermuda!'' She is impressed with the dedication and co-operation she has received from the dancers. These include Alexandra Duzevic, a promising local dancer from the School of Russian Ballet who has just returned from a year's study in Moscow, well known professional dancer Alison Masters who has returned home to dance the second lead in the production and guest artists Patrick Nataro and Shawn Mahoney.

Although her production of La Sylphide is based on Bournonville's choreography, created for the Royal Danish Ballet in 1836 (which makes it the oldest of all the great classical ballets), Belinda Wright is adapting some of the more difficult passages of ensemble work to suit the abilities of the local corps de ballet.

"The kids are very willing to learn. They're a little bit shy with me, but that will soon change. I think it's very good to put on a show like this because it's so exciting for young people to get really involved and to be exposed to live theatre.'' In her soft-spoken voice, she goes on to reflect on the imbalance of support for creativity, as opposed to sports, in most countries. "I find this very discouraging, because creativity and the arts provide the soul of every country. So I like to think that every bit that I'm able to do, helps that process. No country can survive without a healthy creative environment.'' The diminutive ballerina became a household name in the 1950's, when she was chosen to replace superstar Alicia Markova, who had had to withdraw from the premiere of Frederick Ashton's Vision of Marguerite. London estival Ballet director and premier dancer Sir Anton Dolin announced, with maximum publicity on the front page of every British newspaper, that Belinda Wright was to be "the next Markova''.

Her fascination with ballet had begun at the age of four, when she was entranced by the sight of a pair of pink satin ballet shoes in a shop window: "But when I finally got a pair of my own, they were black, so I was a bit put out about that!'' Nevertheless, she persevered with lessons in her native Southport, and when she was 16, her first toe-up on the ladder of fame came in the shape of Dame Marie Rambert.

"She brought her company to Liverpool and found that she needed an extra dancer. So, the very next day, I found myself in the corps de ballet of Giselle, having rehearsed it only in the corridor -- and then it was straight on to the stage. I decided at that point, that my nerves wouldn't stand it!'' But somehow she not only survived, but was given more and more leading roles and completed a two-year tour of Australia with Ballet Rambert. It was then that Belinda Wright formed her memorable partnership with John Gilpin, who also went on to become one of the world's greatest dancers.

"After I had danced with Roland Petit in America, John and Anton Dolin sent me a telegram asking me to join London's Festival Ballet which had just been formed, so I did.'' The rest, as they say, is ballet history, with Wright and Gilpin leading an exciting company of young dancers who brought an old art to an entirely new generation of dance fans all over the world.

"We toured all the time, so in many ways, we were better known than the Royal Ballet. Mind you, it was a financial struggle, keeping the company going.

Julian Braunsweg, our director, was always selling his wife's jewellery to pay the bills!'' After spending a year as guest ballerina with the Royal Ballet, Belinda Wright and Jelko Yuresha embarked on a free-lance career, appearing with leading companies on tours that took them to the Far East, Australia, New Zealand, Central America and Europe.

"I've had a fantastic career. Now I'm happy to be here in Bermuda, to be a part of that tradition where each ballerina teaches the next crop of dancers and tries to preserve the spirit of our great classical ballets.'' Belinda Wright is a fascinating example of this unique passing of the artistic torch: her own teachers included Preobrajenska, the dancer who, at the beginning of the 20th century, was the jewel of the Russian Ballet, and Kathleen Crofton, who in her youth had danced with the greatest ballerina of all, Anna Pavolva.

The open-air production of La Sylphide take place in the garden of Government House from Wednesday, August 19 through Saturday, August 22, at 8.30 p.m.

Tickets at $25, $20 (half price for children under 12) go on sale tomorrow at the Visitors Service Bureau, Tel. 295-1727.

GIVING POINTERS -- Former London Festival Ballet star, Miss Belinda Wright is seen teaching the pas de deux from La Sylphide to rising young local star, Miss Alexandra Duzevic and guest artist Patrick Nataro. Miss Wright is staging the oldest of all classical ballets for the open air production by Bermuda Civic Ballet, which will take place in the grounds of Government House from August 19 through August 22.