Identity area
Reference code
Title
Date(s)
- 1943-1963 (Creation)
Level of description
Extent and medium
54 pp.
Context area
Name of creator
Biographical history
Barbara Clarke was born in Dublin in 1938. She started dancing at the age of four at the Burchill School of Dancing on St Stephen’s Green, Dublin, where she studied both ballet and tap. Her first stage appearance was in the Burchill School of Dancing Recital at the Gaiety Theatre in 1943 at the age of five. From the very beginning, she showed exceptional talent and enthusiasm, and steadily built up her skills by undertaking dance and teaching qualifications. As she progressed, she began to help Miss Burchill with the younger classes and continued to participate in the school’s regular recitals at the Gaiety Theatre. As there was no full-time work for dancers in Ireland in the 1960s and 1970s, Barbara trained as secretary at Alexandra College, Dublin, and worked in that capacity for a firm of stockbrokers in the city. She dedicated her spare time to dance, both as a performer and a choreographer, and gained countrywide publicity through her appearances in RTÉ’s popular programme, Shall We Dance?. She continued her involvement in the art form until 1992, when a stroke called a halt to her active dancing career.
Repository
Archival history
Immediate source of acquisition or transfer
Content and structure area
Scope and content
Photograph album containing programmes of recitals by pupils of Burchill School of Dancing at the Gaiety Theatre, Dublin, with related press cuttings and black and white photographs of Clarke between the ages of 8 and 24. The first images depict Clarke in the garden of her home, posing in costume after each performance. Later images feature Clarke during performances with her fellow dancers, including Ethel Ormston, Albert Regent and Clarke's dancing partner Barry Drumm. The images relate to performances given in June 1946, June 1948, November 1950, February 1953, May 1956, April 1958, May 1960 and June 1962. Also contained in the album are press cuttings relating to Clarke's first television appearance in December 1961. Fragile, with several loose items.
Appraisal, destruction and scheduling
Accruals
System of arrangement
Conditions of access and use area
Conditions governing access
Conditions governing reproduction
Language of material
- English
Script of material
Language and script notes
Physical characteristics and technical requirements
Photograph album in reasonable condition. Item is fragile, use cushion for support.