Dedication to the cause: Dancing on the Home Front

By Kristine Power | Oct. 1, 2015

It will be a homecoming of sorts for dance historian Amy Bowring.

She is returning to St. John’s for a free public lecture on a group of women entertainers who used dance, tableau, music, and recitation to boost morale in Newfoundland during the First World War.  

“Though my brothers and I grew up in Ontario, our Newfoundland heritage was an important part of our upbringing and our parents took us "home" as often as they could,” she explained.

Ms. Bowring is director of the Toronto-based Collections and Research at Dance Collection Danse (DCD), and is well-known in the national dance community for her knowledge of preservation techniques and her advocacy efforts on the issue of dance heritage. She is the founder of the Canadian Society for Dance Studies and a sessional instructor at Ryerson University’s Theatre School in Toronto, Ont. 

“With the centenary of the Battle of Beaumont-Hamel approaching, I was curious to know more about how patriotic performances played a role in the war effort," she said. “There are so many examples of this kind of fundraising through dance in other parts of Canada, so I was sure it was happening in a centre like St. John's as well.”

Inspired by the discovery of a 1916 photocopy of The Distaff, a publication produced by the Women’s Patriotic Association of Newfoundland, Ms. Bowring began a search to learn more about the women who didn’t just knit socks or make bandages, but instead put off amateur theatricals.

With the help of archivists and digital sources at the Centre for Newfoundland Studies at the Queen Elizabeth II Library at Memorial, the women's full contribution began to be revealed.

“We hope to shine a spotlight on an area of First World War research that is often overlooked," said Colleen Quigley, acting head, Archives and Special Collections division with the Queen Elizabeth II Library. “It is also immensely gratifying to see a scholar from the performing arts community taking advantage of our resources.”

First World War: Dancing on the Home Front is part of Memorial Libraries’ Check it Out: Celebrating Culture at the Queen Elizabeth II Library free public lecture series and takes place on Monday, Oct. 5, at 6 p.m. in the Queen Elizabeth II Library, on the third floor.

 

 


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