DANCING

New Zealand Times, Volume XLIV, Issue 10272, 6 May 1919, Page 7

DANCING

TEACHING THE BALLET WORK OF MISS MINNIE HOOPER. With the Royal Comic Opera Company on its present visit to New Zealand is Miss Minnie Hooper, one of the firm’s' chief ballot mistresses. It is not often that New Zealand has such a visitor, but tho influenza epidemic has closed theatres in Australia, and the Opera Company came to Wellington for rehearsal .some ton days before opening. Miss Hooper came, too, and superintended tho productions of tho ballet and chorus dancing, all of which have been invented and arranged by her. .

In tho course of a talk with Miss Iloopoi some, idea was gained by a “Times” representative of the tremendous amount of work that has to be done before a comic opera, pantomime, or revue is ready for performance. One naturally supposes that as' most of the operas come from ■ London or New York some idea of the dancing and business can bo had, but this is not so. Tho score, of course, comes out, but is only marked perhaps “dance,” and occasionally photographs of_ groupings are received, but those give no indication of the steps. So the ballet mistress on receiving tho score has to set to work and invent and arrange all the dances incidental to the piece, think out new' ideas and new business, plan everything and then teach the performers their parts, and this not only in the actual dances, but in the movements of all the chorus incidental to solos as well as chorus work proper. Miss Hooper says when she has a new opera to prepare for there is hardly time to oat or sleep, and Sundays are ns busy as other days. When Miss Hooper began teaching tho ballet for the Williamson companies she worked with Mr Carpenter, the producer of “The Belle of New York.” He always arranged his own business to each song or chorus, then when a dance was required left it to Miss Hooper. Gradually, however, seeing that she could do the work as well, he would leave some numbers wholly to her to arrange, until gradually the whole business or action and dance in the opera was her work. Miss Hooper began dancing at a very early ago and went on tour with the Williamson companies, visiting Now Zealand several times. She strike? a X'isitor as being very much of a worker, so it is not surprising when she tells that they went down to tho theatre for practice every day, and often in intervals between appearances the. girls would ho seen “doing a turn” ..in a quiet comer behind the One of Miss _ Hooper’s teachers was Madame Phillfpim, .who did so much for the ballet and dancing in Australasia. She taught all Williamson companies' for many years. Later Miss Minnie Everett was picked out for the, work, and she was very diffident at undertaking it at first, but she made good at once. Later Miss Hooper was also asked to arrange and teach instead of herself dancing. Her first piece was “The Dairy Maids,” and since then she and Miss Everett have shared the work, which of late years has grown very heavy. In a recent revue in Melbourne there were no fewer than sixty girls' on the stage at one time, and it can be imagined what work there is in connection with arranging a ballet and teaching such numbers.. ...T-......-There is at present,' says-Miss .Hooper, a very good opening for good dancers. She and her sister have a largo school of dancing in Sydney, and they are constantly being asked for new pieces.- So many are tho companies nowadays where . dancing is needed that often tho dancers,to be taught are mere beginners and the work of the ballet is doubled. In a pantomime company, for instance, where the same girls are engaged all the year round, they are expert dancers, and, bliss Hooper has only to ask tor a step by name and they know what is needed.

Miss Hooper visited America and Europe in 1913, and the former country again in 1915. On. the previous visit she met Madame Genes in. New York. The prima ballerina was then on her way to Australia., and Miss Hooper remarked that she was able on this occasion to save the firm some hundreds of pounds. M. Volmin, who was with Madame Genee, w.as insisting on bringing the whole company of dancers from America, being certain that they would not find any up to the performance in Australia. Alisa Hooper was as certain that the Australians could do what was required, and persuaded Mr Meynell, who was making, the arrangements, to her way of thinking- The consequence was that the Australian dancers got the work, and M. Volpun expressed himself astonished at their work. Many of the dancers who thus had the chance of working under M. Volmin havo since become soloists, Maggie Dickinson being among their number. During this trip, Miss Hooper visited about twenty-five shows in cloven days in New York. To the amateur it would seam that only a jumble of scones would 1 be left in one’s mind, hut the professional was able to, keep her ideas clear and gam many hints for future work. In London, Miss Hooper saw the Russian ballet and gained much information for future use. Much of their dancing was acrobatic, said Miss Hooper, especially that of the m e n, but this seemed to appeal to Ihe public, and much has boon introduced into recent performances. Miss Hooper visited Paris, where at the-ChampS Elysee she saw some beautiful ballets. She also visited Berlin and Vienna, but in the latter city the season was over, and. except for a few vaudeville houses, the theatres, wore closed. On a later trip to America, Miss Hooper again saw many performances. At the .Hippodrome in New York the ladder scene was shown, winch was used by Mbs Hooper in. the ballet for the '‘Clin Chin Oliow” number in “The Bing Boys.” ? . Miss Hooncr, who in private. life is Mrs Rose, is acompanied by ber busband on ber present tour. Bbe baa been naked already several times to give. lessons while he ro . but she is, as ; ar ss Rer stage work will let her, taking a holiday, so she lias refused. , Nevertheless. she is much interested in all dsnring and in what is being done ill New Zealand in that respect.