HOME HISTORY BUSH TELEGRAPH YOUR SPACE CONTACT

 

 

 

memories

 

From Alex Morrow alexm2@ntlworld.com

(Ed. Alex was Head Of Boys from 1978-88. Delighted to hear from him and he mentions a few of the boys/girls whom he taught. Reminds us what a stellar array of talent that passed through Charters!)
One day, while I was teaching at the Royal Academy, Alan Hooper, who was the Artistic Director at that time, asked me to call into his office for a moment. There, he asked if I might be interested in working for a short time at Bush Davies, who had been let down and so were in desperate need of a Teacher for Classical Ballet. I agreed and soon afterwards, as I was walking through the grounds of the school and looking somewhat lost, I was approached by a lady who I later knew as Cherry Lloyd. She asked me if she could help me and, assuming that I was a new pianist, she escorted me to the Staff Room. When she discovered the true purpose for my visit we both laughed before she whipped me round and took me over to Joyce Percy's flat. Cherry and I remained good friends throughout our days at "Bush".

Though I had only expected to be at the school for about two weeks, before the end of the second week I had been invited to join as a member of the permanent staff and I remained there for the next ten years until the school closed.
Up to this time Bush Davies had been primarily a girl's school and so it was a great privilege when, a short time later, I was asked to head a new boy's department, and then, later, to join the Board of Management. All together I spent many happy hours working with the staff and pupils at the school.
Among the many pupils I taught there was MICHAEL NUNN who became a principal with the Royal Ballet, before becoming even better known as one of "The Ballet Boyz". Michael was training in Bristol, where he had failed his Elementary(RAD), when he was sent to Bush. We got him up to Advanced level which he passed soon after joining the Royal Ballet School and then went on to get Bronze in the Genée Medal.
LEE ROBINSON became a soloist with the English National Ballet before becoming a teacher with the Elmhurst Ballet School in Birmingham .
WARREN CARLISLE was a West End dancer before becoming the assistant choreographer on the National Theatre production of "Oklahoma" and then "Fosse". He then moved on to America where he became the assistant to the choreographer Susan Stroman.
ALCIDES BAPTISTA de SOUZA (better known as Junior) who joined us from Brazil , became a soloist with one of the German Ballet Companies and is now teaching in Bremen .
GREGORY GAGE joined the English National Ballet and now has his own school in Florence, Italy .
PHILIDA CROWLEY SMITH who would often join in with the boy's classes, became a principal dancer in several West End musicals, including "Phantom of the Opera" and "Cats", and was later chosen by Gillian Lynne to be her assistant.
ALAN BOTTINI was a soloist with the Munich Ballet.
JACKIE JOHNSON and LAWRENCE SMITH appeared in several West End shows before appearing together in "Fosse".
LINDA DIXON danced in Europe and is now a Grade (Children's) Examiner for the Royal Academy .
PHILIP PEGLAR danced in America before becoming a teacher there and has now returned to England as a Vocational (Major) Examiner for the Royal Academy .
Though they didn't win, it was a proud moment when LEE ROBINSON and JAMIE SOWLER were chosen to represent England at the Prix de Lausanne.
I remember with pleasure the school shows and the coach tours just before Christmas, when Sue Passmore and I would take up to forty pupils around Europe visiting various Ballet Companies where the students would have the experience of joining in the Company Classes. Then, while the students were enjoying themselves at MacDonalds, Sue and I would be around the corner enjoying ourselves over coffee and delicious cream cakes. Of the other pupils, too numerous to mention individually, many have achieved success either as dancers or as teachers. Bush Davies was renowned as one of the finest schools in the Western World and I loved every minute that I was there.

Top
Back to Memories index
Back Bush Telegraph