Nadine Senior
Nadine Senior, MBE (born Nadine Pickles; 4 October 1939 – 28 January 2016) was the founding principal of the Northern School of Contemporary Dance in Leeds, England.[1][2]
Personal life
[edit]Senior was born Nadine Pickles, in Scarborough, North Yorkshire, on 4 October 1939. She attended Friarage School and the Scarborough Convent Grammar School, and then studied at a college in Leeds.[3]
Professional life
[edit]In the late 1950s, Senior had encountered the work of Rudolf von Laban while at teacher training college, and she went on to apply his ideas while teaching PE and athletics then when holding the position of deputy headmistress at Harehills Middle School in Harehills, Leeds.[4] She introduced all the pupils to dance, saying that "children are natural movers," and that "dance is one of the few art forms where they have the edge over adults, and they can relate to it immediately."[4]
Forty of her pupils, mostly male, became professional dancers, including the group of young men who moved on to Intake High School and later formed the all black, all male dance company Phoenix Dance Theatre.[4][5] The award-winning choreographer Darshan Singh Bhuller became the company's artistic director in 2002.[6][7]
In 1985, Senior established the Northern School of Contemporary Dance (NSCD), which offers degree and postgraduate courses in dance, and also youth and community courses. The School offers the only conservatoire-level professional dance training outside of London.[8]
Senior retired in 2001,[9] and was Chair of the Trustees of Phoenix Dance Theatre for the next six years.[1] She was appointed a Member of the Order of the British Empire (MBE) for services to dance.[10]
Death and legacy
[edit]Senior died on 28 January 2016, aged 76, following a stroke.[1][11] Her funeral was attended by Richard Alston, Namron, David Hughes, Kenneth Tharp and Janet Smith.[11]
In 2017, the Phoenix Dance Theatre hosted a Celebration Gala to pay tribute to Senior after he death, with the event including a staging of Robert North’s Troy Game (1974).[12]
In 2021, the Northern School of Contemporary Dance launched the Nadine Senior Legacy Fund to provide financial assistance for students from groups underrepresented in higher education.[13]
In September 2024, a commemorative blue plaque in honour of Senior was unveiled in Leeds by her son, Gareth Senior. The unveiling event also included a performance by nine students who danced New Work by Amaury Lebrun. The plaque was funded by the Northern School of Contemporary Dance.[8][14][15]
References
[edit]- ^ a b c "A Tribute to Nadine Senior MBE". Phoenix Dance Theatre. 28 January 2016. Retrieved 30 May 2016.
- ^ "NSCD founder, Nadine Senior". Northern School of Contemporary Dance. Retrieved 30 May 2016.
- ^ Bambridge, Steve (12 February 2016). "Tributes to Scarborough girl who became a pioneer of dancing". The Scarborough News. Retrieved 30 May 2016.
- ^ a b c Williams, Elaine (11 May 2008). "City of Dance". TES Newspaper. Retrieved 1 April 2014.
- ^ "History". Phoenix Dance Theatre. Archived from the original on 12 August 2013. Retrieved 1 April 2014.
- ^ "Dances of war, death and destruction". The Independent. 14 October 2003. Retrieved 21 April 2025.
- ^ Dunning, Jennifer (31 March 2006). "Phoenix Dance Theater Performs at Montclair State". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 21 April 2025.
- ^ a b "Blue Plaque Unveiling for Nadine Senior". Leeds Civic Trust. 17 September 2024. Retrieved 21 April 2025.
- ^ "Timeline". Northern School of Contemporary Dance. Archived from the original on 28 February 2014. Retrieved 1 April 2014.
- ^ "NSCD Principal featured in historic dance honours photo". Northern School of Contemporary Dance. 26 October 2015. Retrieved 30 May 2016.
- ^ a b Leith, Alex (3 March 2016). "Nadine Senior Obituary". The Critics' Circle. Retrieved 21 April 2025.
- ^ "Celebration Gala for Nadine Senior MBE". Phoenix Dance Theatre. Retrieved 21 April 2025.
- ^ "NSCD launches fund in memory of Nadine Senior MBE". Northern School of Contemporary Dance. Retrieved 21 April 2025.
- ^ Wortley, Ali (30 September 2024). "Blue Plaque to Honour Nadine Senior MBE on 4 October". Leeds Living. Retrieved 21 April 2025.
- ^ "Leeds Civic Trust honours dance teacher Nadine Senior MBE". Dance Informa Magazine United Kingdom. 3 October 2024. Retrieved 21 April 2025.