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Transitions David Adams Autobiographical musings: 1947-1949 Part I |
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Part I Part II Part III Part IV Part V Part VI Part VII Part VIII Part IX |
The age was 17, the time? In between 1945 and 1946. World War two was over. Those final days are a subject that I will return to in a section of this document as yet to come. It is too soon right now. With the war over, the question of doing military service was also over. Canada did not continue drafting with the termination of hostilities. I came close to that situation at school with the army cadet corps. We handled weapons, from rifles to anti-tank guns, and used live ammunition. There was also the gas mask drill, using gas as an incentive to put on your mask. We did not need the real thing |
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The Turning Point
Dance was very central to my way of life. The Winnipeg Ballet had taken that extensive tour in 1945, East and West.?"
We were closer to a real situation.
During that tour and the weeks following it, there was much discussion as to what was next on my agenda.
Do I stay in Winnipeg, or do I go further a field?
First England, then the Sadler’s Wells Ballet was talked about.
Eventually Gweneth Lloyd offered to write a letter of recommendation to the Sadler’s Wells Ballet.
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 1945 Winnipeg Tour | |
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The Sadler's Wells
In April of 1946 the letter arrived. It was a contract with the Sadler’s Wells Ballet Company. I had a scholarship to the school , then, all things going well, a position in the company.
I could not quite believe my luck, but there it was. The only question was, when?
We had been working on R.A.D. exams for quite some time. I was to take an Elementary and an Intermediate exam. Lots of work.
A coach was being sent from London England to assist us. Mara McBirney was a powerhouse. She put the finishing touches on our work in a very short time.
Mara would enter my life again in 1949, in Vancouver.
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 The Sadler's Wells Contract | |
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The RAD Exams
Our examiner this time was Phyllis Bedells. A very soft spoken, very English woman.
She arrived in Winnipeg on May 16, 1946, in time to see some performances by the Winnipeg Ballet, before beginning the examinations.
I managed an honours mark for the Elementary exam and a fairly good mark for the Intermediate exam.
We all adored Miss Bedells
Meanwhile. Back at my family, there had been much talk about my going to London, but also about a trip to Seattle, Washington.
We had friends down there, and decided that this would be a good year for a visit.
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 David's RAD Exams | |