On with the dance!

First published in Column Eight on the 7^th November 1990

 Some of the smaller historic occasions of 1990 passed by almost unnoticed in the hurly-burly of having had four Prime Ministers in a year.

The elections and the subsequent change of Government seemed to have chewed up everything else in their path. So it’s easy to overlook events that are important to a large number of people – even if there isn’t a politician in sight.

Down here in the real world, where people earn wages that are under $100,000 – considerably under! – there are other things to celebrate.

On Saturday night, at what I still think of as the Mayfair Theatre, I attended a performance in which something like 300 dancers of various ages went through their paces.

At one end of the scale there were the experienced performers who over the years have spent uncountable hours in practice.

Some of these ladies – there weren’t any men who’d lasted the distance – provided us with effortless classical movements that require graceful twisting and arching and standing on toes, all without the least sign of strain.

Others turned and leapt and bent and flipped in sharp, snappy modern movements, and made it all look so easy. If most of us were to try it, including yours truly, we’d be contorted after a couple of gyrations, and end up in traction.

They were exhilarating to watch.

And at the other end of the scale there were the littlies. Naturally whenever the tiniest of them appeared they caused a strange gushing sound to rise up out of the audience.

It wasn’t like the awful canned noise you hear on television comedies, where it seems as if the audience has been provided with an excessive amount of liquor before the show started. This was genuine pleasure from parents at watching the fairly disciplined efforts of their offspring as they did their best to look like real dancers.

I was going to say ballerinas, but that would exclude not only those whose skill is in modern dancing but also the three boys who took part in the show.

One of whom was my son. No, I didn’t make loud gushing noises every time he lifted his feet off the floor. But since I was in the second front row, and we could see each other, we did grin a lot.

So why was all this historic? This Dance Festival was the 30^th of its kind, which means that some of the teachers who had their pupils on display were once children in past performances themselves.

The man who initiated it all, because he was concerned that there was no outlet for the large amount of talent that existed back in 1960 – and still exists today – was Arthur Rackley.

Mr Rackley and his wife were on hand to present each of the teachers with Miss World-style sashes, and little gifts. After 30 years they’re still encouraging people to display their talents.

Not only their talents, but their professionalism. The old saying, the show must go on, was proved not once, but twice during the evening.

First we had a tiny ballerina flitting in and out amongst the rest – with a plaster cast on her arm.

And during a hectic modern dance, one young lady slipped and fell heavily to the floor.

For a painful moment it looked as though she’d leave the stage. Then she picked herself up, fought back the tears, and carried on dancing to the end, with the possibility of a broken arm.

Dancers from the Hathaway Academy of Ballet
photo courtesy of David Tribble

 

Yes, we really did have four Prime Ministers in 1990:

David Lange: Served as Prime Minister until August 8, 1989.

Geoffrey Palmer: Became Prime Minister on August 8, 1989, and served until September 4, 1990.

Mike Moore: Took office on September 4, 1990, and served until November 2, 1990.

Jim Bolger: Became Prime Minister on November 2, 1990, and served until December 8, 1997.

Photo from 2007 when it was called
the Westpac Mayfair. 

 

The Mayfair Theatre was a former picture theatre, beautifully decorated in the style that was usual to
picture theatres built in the first decade of the 20^th century. By the time I wrote this column it had had its name changed more than once as various organisations took over its running.

I had a long personal association with the place, being involved (as a pianist) in a number of operas, acting in several plays, and most illustriously (!) having my own musical produced there: Grimhilda!