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In the early 1950’s the effects of the Second World War were still having an impact on the way that people lived. It was very different to now and there were many hardships. Rationing of food was still on-going, there was a shortage of housing and there were few luxuries in the home. However, everything was not “doom and gloom”. Children could play safely out in the street as there was less traffic and boys and girls spent hours playing outside and socialising with their friends rather than being indoors. They joined clubs such as church groups, Boys and Girls Brigades as well as the Scouts and Guides. Very few people had televisions until the late 1950’s and going to the cinema in Somercotes was a weekly event, usually Saturday mornings for children. Hobbies were popular and a favourite pastime for girls was having dancing lessons at the local dancing school.

Jean Tomlinson established her dancing school in Leabrooks in the late 1940s at Leabrooks Miners’ Welfare. It was not ballroom dancing but lessons in Tap, Ballet and Acrobatic dancing that she gave. Although dancing tuition was offered to both girls and boys very few boys attended, as it was not generally thought appropriate for boys to learn to tap dance or to do ballet lessons in the mining communities around Somercotes at that time. If you have seen the musical or the film of “Billy Elliot” you will be familiar with the negative attitude that most miners had with regards to boys learning to dance. To the majority of working-class men it was acceptable for girls to learn to dance when they were young but inappropriate for boys.

Miss Tomlinson established the school and it was extremely popular. Girls often started at very young ages (aged three onwards) and carried on for years. Before long there were many pupils attending lessons in Tap, Ballet, Acrobatics and Modern Dance as indicated in the Ripley and Heanor News May 13^th 1949.

The school was successful locally and many girls from Alfreton, Swanwick, South Normanton as well as Somercotes, Riddings and Leabrooks enjoyed the various dancing classes. Soon new premises were needed to accommodate the growing number and range of classes that Miss Tomlinson taught. A new “Studio” was opened in 1951 as seen in this promotional announcement at the time:

The “Studio” was situated on the Market Place in Somercotes above the Alfreton and District Council Depot (currently a Curry House) and it was reached by climbing up the steep iron steps on the outside of the building. The inside of the studio where the lessons took place was typical of dancing school studios then. It was a large rectangular white-washed room with a wooden floor. The walls were lined with huge mirrors and a hand rail or “barre” which was used particularly in ballet lessons and “warming up” exercises. There were framed photographs and Records of Achievement on the walls and in one corner an upright piano was played in the group dancing lessons. The man who played the piano was usually Gilbert Allton and he could play anything, often without music. He also accompanied the dancers at the annual local shows that Miss Tomlinson produced. The large entrance room where everyone got changed for their lessons was not so theatrical. The space had to be shared with the spare wooden trestles that were used on the markets and were stored there by the council.

Examinations were held once a year for those pupils who wanted to progress through the Syllabus in a particular dancing style. To undertake these practical examinations pupils had to travel to Derby usually to a large house at 99, Friargate, which was very grand. The owner was Miss Judy Cholerton, the founder of the nationally acclaimed dance association and she was the main examiner. When the results of the examinations were known Miss Tomlinson always published them in the local papers in order to encourage others. Whether exams were taken or not the pupils at the dancing school put on a lavish show at a local venue at least once a year and all the proceeds were given to charity. These local productions were extremely bright and colourful in the grey world of the early 1950’s and were very well supported by the community of Somercotes and surrounding areas. Everyone genuinely enjoyed the entertainment.

Here are a few examples of the shows that were performed:

• 1953 The Wizard of Oz (Somercotes Empire)
• 1954 Snow White and the Seven Dwarves (Heanor Town Hall)
• 1955 Pinocchio (Somercotes Empire)

The lead of Pinocchio was taken by Keith Wright from Alfreton, one of the few boy dancers at the school.

The dance troupe also performed at Old People’s Homes, local hospitals and other fund-raising events on regular occasions, undertaking a lot of community work. Despite its popularity Jean Tomlinson decided to sell the thriving dance business for personal reasons and the dance school was taken over by Dorothy Lapworth, another dancing teacher from Heage. “Aladdin” was staged in Somercotes Church Hall in May 1957 with music provided by Eric Chambers and his orchestra, all the profit from the show going to the “Sunshine Home for Blind Babies”. For a while the dancing school continued but eventually closed. While it never produced a new Shirley Temple or Judy Garland, it gave hundreds of local girls regular aerobic exercise, opportunities to interact with others and to develop self- confidence as well as providing an interesting hobby while they were growing up.

Judith Fitzhugh