Guest Blog: Ballet in the Country by Lorna Warwick
During the late 1960s I spent two and a half years teaching in the small country town of Springsure in the Central Highlands of Queensland.
During that time, an enthusiastic group of us formed a branch of the Arts Council of Australia. Our main aim was to give the country people as much entertainment as possible. This we did by presenting many wonderful plays to packed audiences. It is amazing what talent we found in the area.
As balls were a Big Event in country towns, we decided in 1968 to hold our own Arts Council Ball. The committee approached me to create something special for the Floor Show. This was to be a challenge. At first I thought I would use my musical ability and do something in that area using children from the senior school, but came up with the idea of finding some Willing Men to perform a dance—not just any dance, but ballet. It did not take me long to find five willing participants: a bank teller, a soft drink factory proprietor, a swimming pool curator, a shire council administrative officer and a shire engineer. All of these had been sports people in some way, but definitely not ballet dancers.
With a time limit of five weeks, we set to work. Of course this was a great secret with only about ten people in the know. Teaching began in earnest and, after lots of fun and hard work, I was very proud of my Swans. Our ballet was Les Sylphides by Chopin.
The shire clerk’s wife, Florence, made all the costumes, long white tulle dresses, with shoe string straps (over muscly shoulders and hairy chests). White stockings completed the outfit and of course a flower in the hair.
The Night of the Ball
The floor show was announced by the compere. After a few bars of music, my ballerinas elegantly moved on to the stage. I sat at the piano in the wings, eyes focused on the dancers, but hardly able to contain myself for laughing—not at my men, but at the comments from the audience, many of whom were from big cattle properties in the district. Need I say more!
The Swans were magnificent, they danced to perfection, not cracking even a smile. I was so proud of them and all we had achieved. We went on to enjoy the rest of the evening at the ball.
I have these lovely photos to remind me of a wonderful experience, something I shall never forget.
