Shirley had an interest in dancing since the 1930's, when she studied with
Edouard Borovansky. Later she joined the Unity Dancers. In 1954 she danced in
the production of Reedy River, the first Theatre production using Australian
Folk dance and songs. From the interest in this show the Folklore Society was
formed in 1954 and later the Victorian Bush Music Club in 1959, Shirley being
a founding member.
The Unity Dancers were asked to find suitable dances and music for the VBMC
Singabouts. At the time very little was known about Australian songs and dance.
In the early 1960's, on a song-gathering mission Shirley met and formed
friendships with Beat and Con Klippel whose family had been playing for dances
in the Corryong area for generations. Shirley recorded the dances and in 1964
the first festival was held at Nariel Creek on Australia Day weekend.
Subsequently, the Port Phillip Festival committee was created, with Shirley as
Chairperson, and held the first National Folk Festival. As there was not enough
Australian material available at the time, it was decided to include
multicultural events. The VBMC's constitution was all-Australian, so it was
renamed to the Victorian Folk Music Club, and the Port Phillip Folk Club was
formed (later becoming the Folk Song and Dance Society of Victoria) to
encompass multicultural arts. Shirley seldom missed a National Folk Festival,
and usually presented a workshop.
After breaking a leg in a skiing accident, Shirley was grounded and decided to
put her research material into "Take Your Partners", which was launched in
1979. A group of professional musicians produced a dance book that distorted
the dances collected by Shirley, claiming them as original. This was just too
much for Shirley and the Traditional Social Dance Association of Victoria was
formed to maintain the integrity of traditional dancing.
In 1981, Shirley became a member of Earthwatch, an organisation recording
dances from around the world, and played a leading role in the Folklore
Conferences held bi-annually, both forums for research. Later, as more research
was made available, Shirley ran workshops for the Victorian Dance Assembly.
In 1988, Shirley and Peter Ellis co-authored "Two Hundred Dancing Years" for
the Bicentenary celebrations. She received the Order of Australia Medal in
1994, for her contribution to Australian cultural identity.
Shirley was multifaceted and widely travelled, and always carried out research
wherever possible. On a more personal level, she was a good friend to many and
a mentor to all who knew her. We will certainly miss her and her sense of
humour.
. . . Elma Gardner.
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