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Dancing Crim es.....
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This month saw the launch of our exciting outreach campaign, Bourrée for Bosnia. Many of the girls were deeply affected to learn that one of the greatest casualties of war today is footwork, and it seemed almost daily one of them would say "Miss Ebinger, can't we do something?" We were so saddened by pictures of little Bosnian children who, through no fault of their own, would fail even their Grade III because of sickled feet and weak metatarsals. So it was that with a lump in our throats and an RAD syllabus in our bags we set out for Gradansko Jebališce. Lady Walthamstow had generously donated £500,000 to set up a school based on sound technical principles and discipline.
On the second day, we set to work finding a suitable building. We were fortunate that the rebuilding of the local hospital was beset by financial problems. Our delightful interpreter, Mr Miloševic assured us that Lady Walthamstow's cheque would ensure a speedy purchase, and that all remaining patients would be removed in time for the Adeline Genée workshops in June.
Since our return, we have had veritable sackloads of mail from such important organisations as the UN, Amnesty International, UNICEF, Oxfam and Blue Peter. Miss Forthwright has been far too busy with registration to open it yet, but we are of course delighted that our mission was such a success in International Eyes. We are absolutely thrilled to inform Mr Miloševic that none other than Dame Alicia Markova will be opening the school in June, hosting a special performance of The Merry Widow performed by the graduate students - once again, Lady Walthamstow has dug deep into the generous folds of her purse and warmed the world - with dance.
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This month, a special edition of Ebinger's Harbinger, the newsletter of
the Blandine Ebinger School of Classical Ballet and Jazz.
We were invited to attend an exhibition of folk dancing at the local
school. The children wore national costume and, as far as we could tell,
performed the Kolo from the Grade IV national syllabus, although I doubt Miss
Heaving would have recognised it! Here was work to be done indeed, if any of
these poor mites were to gain their RAD certificates. Many of them did not even
speak English - some had not even heard of June Smethrington!
As soon as the locals heard that the Adeline Genée workshops were to be held in little
Gradansko Jebališce , they
flocked to the hospital waving banners with beautiful coloured writing on. The
chanting became so loud at one point that the police had to be called in to
contain their excitement! Some of the boys became quite raucous, firing off toy
pistols as the women cried with joy!! We had become celebrities
overnight, and proof positive that the war could have surely been averted
had the youngsters been encouraged to express themselves in dance.