Post by manho on May 12, 2008 6:10:26 GMT -5
Patricia Tracey
Influential clog dancer who was part of the English folk revival
Derek Schofield
Monday May 12, 2008
The Guardian
When the English folk revival of the 1950s and 1960s turned its attention towards the previously neglected clog dancing, a handful of exceptional dancers emerged. Pat Tracey, who has died aged 80 after a fall, came from a family background of clog dancing that was an important expression of working-class culture in the cotton-weaving mill towns of east Lancashire. And through the folk dance revival, she was able to pass on her unique dancing style to new generations of enthusiasts. As a dancer, she was neat, fast and exciting, and always drew astonished applause from an audience.
Pat's abilities led to an invitation to teach the clog dancing sequences in Albert Finney's 1984 Old Vic production of John Arden's play Serjeant Musgrave's Dance. Pat taught all the actors, including Finney and comedian Max Wall. She also tutored Gillian Lynne, who later created the stage show Cats, for the television production of the ballet A Simple Man, about the painter LS Lowry. Pat appeared on the BBC arts programme Monitor, but declined to take part in The Generation Game.
Pat first came into contact with folk dancing when Douglas Kennedy, director of the English Folk Dance and Song Society (EFDSS) in London, inquired through the national press about the existence of clog dancers. Pat read his plea, and was soon teaching clog dancing at the society's London headquarters, Cecil Sharp House, where she later formed the dance group Camden Clog.
In 1964, she danced at the EFDSS's Royal Albert Hall festival. During a light-hearted sequence which parodied popular television programmes, Pat clog danced to the theme tunes of Dixon of Dock Green and Z Cars, dressed as WPC Tracey. Royal Ballet choreographer Frederick Ashton, creator of La Fille Mal Gardée, with its comic clog dance, was in the audience and admired Pat's dancing.
She was born in Nelson, east Lancashire, and was related to Alice Nutter, one of the accused at the 1612 Pendle Witches trial. Her mother was determined that Pat should have the opportunities that she had been denied, and after Nelson grammar school, Pat graduated in French and English from St Andrews University, and, at St Hilda's College, Oxford, acquired a postgraduate diploma in social administration in 1951. After working in advertising, Pat was employed by Mass Observation and became a fellow of the Royal Statistical Society, before giving up work to raise a family and devote her time to clog dancing. Pat learned the steps from her mother, Sally Nutter, who had learned from her father (born in 1856) and her uncle (a professional clog dancer), who, as boys, were both taught by older dancers.
With this family tradition, and her inquisitive nature, Pat investigated the background to the family's dances. Helped by her mother, Pat tracked down older dancers, including those of Irish origin, and from this wealth of historical information identified a distinctive east Lancashire style. She was convinced that the dance style was developed by the weavers, rattling their feet to keep warm and mimicking the rhythm of the looms. Years later, Pat successfully put her theory to the test when she danced to the rhythm of the looms on a visit to Quarry Bank Mill at Styal in Cheshire.
The east Lancashire style of dancing was dictated by the design of the wooden-soled clogs, which were loose-fitting. The flat-foot style used the heels as much as the toes to make the tapping sound. This heel-and-toe style was in contrast to the music-hall clog dance which used a tight-fitting clog, allowing the dancer to perform entirely off the toe, with no heel beats.
The mid-1970s was a period of renewed interest in clog dancing, and her dance routines were filmed. By now she was living in Essex and was often invited by Peter Dashwood, of the EFDSS, to perform at festivals in the area. Later, she led annual workshops at Yorkshire's Whitby Folk Week, where she displayed her great choreographic skills. She taught in the US four times, on one occasion travelling deep into the Appalachian mountains, where she impressed the old-time mountain step dancers. In 1990, she was awarded the EFDSS's Gold Badge for her outstanding contribution to folk dance.
In recent years, ill health prevented her from dancing in public, but just after her 80th birthday she was still able to dance at a family gathering. She is survived by her husband, Roy, and two daughters, Christina and Alison.
Patricia Tracey, clog dancer, born November 14 1927; died February 1 2008
Influential clog dancer who was part of the English folk revival
Derek Schofield
Monday May 12, 2008
The Guardian
When the English folk revival of the 1950s and 1960s turned its attention towards the previously neglected clog dancing, a handful of exceptional dancers emerged. Pat Tracey, who has died aged 80 after a fall, came from a family background of clog dancing that was an important expression of working-class culture in the cotton-weaving mill towns of east Lancashire. And through the folk dance revival, she was able to pass on her unique dancing style to new generations of enthusiasts. As a dancer, she was neat, fast and exciting, and always drew astonished applause from an audience.
Pat's abilities led to an invitation to teach the clog dancing sequences in Albert Finney's 1984 Old Vic production of John Arden's play Serjeant Musgrave's Dance. Pat taught all the actors, including Finney and comedian Max Wall. She also tutored Gillian Lynne, who later created the stage show Cats, for the television production of the ballet A Simple Man, about the painter LS Lowry. Pat appeared on the BBC arts programme Monitor, but declined to take part in The Generation Game.
Pat first came into contact with folk dancing when Douglas Kennedy, director of the English Folk Dance and Song Society (EFDSS) in London, inquired through the national press about the existence of clog dancers. Pat read his plea, and was soon teaching clog dancing at the society's London headquarters, Cecil Sharp House, where she later formed the dance group Camden Clog.
In 1964, she danced at the EFDSS's Royal Albert Hall festival. During a light-hearted sequence which parodied popular television programmes, Pat clog danced to the theme tunes of Dixon of Dock Green and Z Cars, dressed as WPC Tracey. Royal Ballet choreographer Frederick Ashton, creator of La Fille Mal Gardée, with its comic clog dance, was in the audience and admired Pat's dancing.
She was born in Nelson, east Lancashire, and was related to Alice Nutter, one of the accused at the 1612 Pendle Witches trial. Her mother was determined that Pat should have the opportunities that she had been denied, and after Nelson grammar school, Pat graduated in French and English from St Andrews University, and, at St Hilda's College, Oxford, acquired a postgraduate diploma in social administration in 1951. After working in advertising, Pat was employed by Mass Observation and became a fellow of the Royal Statistical Society, before giving up work to raise a family and devote her time to clog dancing. Pat learned the steps from her mother, Sally Nutter, who had learned from her father (born in 1856) and her uncle (a professional clog dancer), who, as boys, were both taught by older dancers.
With this family tradition, and her inquisitive nature, Pat investigated the background to the family's dances. Helped by her mother, Pat tracked down older dancers, including those of Irish origin, and from this wealth of historical information identified a distinctive east Lancashire style. She was convinced that the dance style was developed by the weavers, rattling their feet to keep warm and mimicking the rhythm of the looms. Years later, Pat successfully put her theory to the test when she danced to the rhythm of the looms on a visit to Quarry Bank Mill at Styal in Cheshire.
The east Lancashire style of dancing was dictated by the design of the wooden-soled clogs, which were loose-fitting. The flat-foot style used the heels as much as the toes to make the tapping sound. This heel-and-toe style was in contrast to the music-hall clog dance which used a tight-fitting clog, allowing the dancer to perform entirely off the toe, with no heel beats.
The mid-1970s was a period of renewed interest in clog dancing, and her dance routines were filmed. By now she was living in Essex and was often invited by Peter Dashwood, of the EFDSS, to perform at festivals in the area. Later, she led annual workshops at Yorkshire's Whitby Folk Week, where she displayed her great choreographic skills. She taught in the US four times, on one occasion travelling deep into the Appalachian mountains, where she impressed the old-time mountain step dancers. In 1990, she was awarded the EFDSS's Gold Badge for her outstanding contribution to folk dance.
In recent years, ill health prevented her from dancing in public, but just after her 80th birthday she was still able to dance at a family gathering. She is survived by her husband, Roy, and two daughters, Christina and Alison.
Patricia Tracey, clog dancer, born November 14 1927; died February 1 2008
