| Description | Labelled number 18 inside. Reviews of and advertisements for Natural Movement performances and other related events from 31 January 1911 to 30 December 1925.
This was a time when Atkinson first became interested in dance and began developing her own system of dance. In 1912 Atkinson became ballet mistress at the Gaiety Theatre in Manchester and in 1918 opened her School of Natural Movement at 259 Deansgate Manchester.
During the 1920s Atkinson choreographed ballets for the Grand Opera Festivals held at the Manchester Opera House and was also appointed a professor at the Royal Manchester College of Music teaching movement, mime and gesture. In 1921 Mollie Suffield joined Atkinson as her partner, creating the Atkinson-Suffield School. In 1925 as well as formulating the elementary exam for Natural Movement, Atkinson was invited by the Imperial Society of Teachers of Dancing to form the Natural Movement Branch.
Content:
1911
Reviews: Knight of the Burning Pestle at the Gaiety Theatre, Manchester and The School for Scandal by Miss Horniman's Company.
1913-14
Reviews: The Cinderella Club's Big Concert and several performances by Atkinson from the Buxton Herald.
1915
Reviews: performances for local charities including one on 29 March 1916 at which Atkinson could not attend due to the ill health of her father.
1916
Reviews: Atkinson's performances, several at the Gaiety Theatre, with portrait images of her.
Articles from The Musical Standard and The Musical Times mentioning Moon Maiden and Rag Deepak.
1917-18
Reviews: The Poor Little Rich Girl and several performances at the Crane Hall, Liverpool
1919-20
Reviews for a children's concert and a spring festival of the Women's International League (with an image), thank you note congratulating Atkinson on her performance at May Day, an advert for Atkinson's School of Natural Movement and Dancing at the Studio 259 Deansgate, and a summer course of dancing under the direction of Mollie Suffield. Reviews for performance at the Houldsworth Hall, Manchester, a more detailed advert for Atkinson's School and some images of "The Unnamed Society", reviews mentioning Mother Goose.
1921-22
Images of performances at the Gaiety Theatre with reviews for historical and poetical dances, adverts and reviews for a ballet at the Manchester Grand Opera Festival with a page on Atkinson from the souvenir book sold during the Opera week, adverts and reviews for a performance at the Houldsworth Hall, images of Atkinson and pupils in an open-air performance, articles and image regarding nature dances by city children; images by Longworth-Cooper taken in Atkinson's Manchester studio.
1923-24
Reviews for a recital of dances of history at the Houldsworth Hall, one article mentions Atkinson's 'unique method of illustrating the form of each dance in design' and The Moth and The Girl with the red-gold hair. Images of pupils at the Heaton Park Garden Party, reviews for Tuesday Midday concerts, and article with the title Slum child dancers and another Revival of the Greek Dance regarding a dinner of the Dancer's Circle which was attended by Madame Adeline Genée, Atkinson and Ruby Ginner. Also several articles from the Dancing Times April 1924 mentioning the different techniques of Atkinson and Ginner, images from the Blackpool Dance Festival including one of Mary Hawksworth. Dancing Times article titled The Art of Madge Atkinson a wonderful teacher of Children December 1924.
1925
Image of Atkinson and a pupil on the Devonshire Coast, reviews of the Manchester Opera Festival, article from Dancing Times November 1925 'The Atkinson-Suffield Dancers appear with the Halle Orchestra' which mentions the mistake in 'coupling' Atkinson's name with Greek Dancing rather then with Natural Movement. Also an article titled Delphi and the Dance with an image of Atkinson in the Theatre of Apollo. Article mentioning that Atkinson has had to employ more staff with new centres forming in various districts including Lancashire, Cheshire, Glasgow and Hamburg. |