They again challenge the faun with flapping arms, and are followed by the lagging sixth nymph who dances the same challenge just as the pair turn to leave. The faun falls back, exchanging stares with the nymphs before the last nymph breaks off and she too retires. The faun is now alone. He nods his head over the veil and returns to his mound. A cello and flute carry the tune with the harp continuing in the background. The faun holds the veil to his face before spreading it on the ground and lowering his body onto it with his head tucked in and arms to his sides. Soft horns and a harp accompany a final flute passage as his body tenses and curls back, head rising, before relaxing back onto the veil. Lydia Sokolova, the first English dancer in the Ballets Russes, described Nijinsky's performance as "thrilling." She highlighted his powerful, animalistic movements in his handling of the nymph's veil, and lauded his acting during this visceral scene. Performances Premiere and reaction On 28 May 1912, an invited audience attended the dress rehearsal. There was silence as it finished. Gabriel Astruc, a French impresario who assisted Diaghilev with finance, publicity, and bookings, came on stage and announced that the ballet would be repeated. This time, there was some applause before the audience was presented champagne and caviar in the theatre foyer. The Afternoon of a Faun was premiered on 29 May at the Théâtre du Châtelet in Paris. The faun was danced by Vaslav Nijinsky, senior nymph by Nelidova, and Bronislava Nijinska danced the 6th nymph. The conductor was Pierre Monteux. On the opening night, the ballet was met with a mixture of applause and booing, and again it was repeated. After the repeated performance, the audience applauded, and the sculptor, Auguste Rodin who was in the audience, stood up to cheer. Commedia published a long article by its editor, Gaston de Pawlowski, where he praised the ballet and supported articles by Louis Vuillemain and Louis Schneider. Vuillemain wrote that this ballet had the most pleasing acting, dancing, and music he had ever seen before. Le Théâtre carried a review by Schneider where he applauded Nijinsky's ability to accurately adapt his choreography to Debussy's composition. A strikingly different response appeared in Le Figaro, where the editor, Gaston Calmette, also carried a front page article on the ballet. Calmette denounced