Australia Dancing - Gore, Walter (1910

Gore, Walter (1910 - 1979)

Attributed to Alec Murray: Walter Gore at 'Merioola', 1948

Scottish-born Walter Gore established his career as a dancer and choreographer in England with Ballet Rambert. He came to Australia on the momentous 1947-1949 tour by Ballet Rambert. In Australia he danced leading roles in the Rambert repertoire and choreographed his tenth ballet, Winter Night, which premiered in Melbourne in 1947. Gore subsequently returned in 1952 to direct, briefly and controversially, the Melbourne-based National Theatre Ballet Company. He returned again to tour his Walter Gore Ballet, which he established in London in 1954 and which assumed for the Australian tour the name Australian Theatre Ballet. He subsequently worked around the world as a director and choreographer. He established a further connection with Australia in 1974 when he was offered the job of artistic director of the Queensland Ballet (which he did not take up) and when he staged his Simple Symphony and created Rip Tide for Laurel Martyn's Ballet Victoria.

Bibliography:

A list of Gore's choreography is in Martha Bremser (ed.), International Dictionary of Ballet, Volume 1 (Detroit: St James Press, 1993), pp. 591-92. This list, however, fails to include Rip Tide (1974)

Research Materials

[Ballet Rambert in Australia], 1947-1949 (Moving picture): Cast: Sally Gilmour, John Gilpin, Walter Gore, Belinda Wright and artists of Ballet Rambert; 16 mm film, shot by Dr Joseph Ringland Anderson; black and white and colour, no sound, 70 mins; This compilation contains excerpts from Giselle Act I, Soiree musicale, Gala Performance, Les Sylphides, Swan Lake Act II and two ballets not yet identified. Sally Gilmour and Walter Gore dance the leading roles in Giselle. In Soiree musicale the 'Canzonetta' is danced by Belinda Wright and David Hunt, the 'Tyrolese' by Annette Chappell and John Paget, 'Bolero' by Sara Luzita, Paula Hinton and Barbara Grimes and 'Tarantella' by Brenda Hamlyn and Frank Staff. In Gala Performance Margaret Scott is the Russian Ballerina, Sally Gilmour is the French Ballerina and Joyce Graeme is the Italian Ballerina. The footage was shot between 1947 and 1949, probably in Melbourne, when the Rambert company toured Australian and New Zealand. Poor vision quality.

Ringland Anderson Ballet Films; Ballet Rambert Australian tour ; Giselle ; Scott, Margaret ; Graeme, Joyce ; Swan Lake ; Gilmour, Sally ; Sylphides, Les; Location:; The Keep Dancing! Collection; National Film and Sound Archive; Title no: 449256

Giselle - Act I, 1948 (Moving picture): Cast: Sally Gilmour, Walter Gore and artists of Ballet Rambert; 16 mm film, produced by Keith Vyden; black and white, sound, 8 mins; This footage, which was shot at the Tivoli Theatre in Sydney, contains highlights from Act I of Giselle. Made during the Australian tour by Ballet Rambert between 1947 and 1949 it features Sally Gilmour as Giselle and Walter Gore as Albrecht.; Ballet Rambert Australian tour ; Giselle ; Gilmour, Sally; Location:; National Film and Sound Archive; Title no: 372756

[Giselle: Ballet Rambert], 1948 (Moving picture): Cast: Sally Gilmour, John Gilpin, Walter Gore and artists of Ballet Rambert; 16 mm film, shot by Dr Joseph Ringland Anderson; colour, no sound, 38 mins; Is part of: [Ballet Rambert in Australia], 70m mins; Excerpts from Giselle Act I as performed in Australia by Ballet Rambert during its Australia tour of 1947-1949. Shot in Melbourne at a dress rehearsal in October 1948. Compilation also contains excerpts from Soiree musicale, Gala Performance, Les Sylphides, Swan Lake Act II and two ballets not yet identified. Poor vision quality.

Ringland Anderson Ballet Films; Giselle ; Ballet Rambert Australian tour ; Swan Lake ; Gilmour, Sally ; Sylphides, Les; Location:; The Keep Dancing! Collection; National Film and Sound Archive; Title no: 449256

Stringer, Walter: Dianne Parrington and Karl Welander in Walter Gore's 'Rip Tide', Ballet Victoria, 1974

[Rip Tide], 1974 (Moving picture): Choreography: Walter Gore; Music: Shostakovitch; Cast: Dianne Parrington, Karl Welander, Gary Hill; Costume design: Miranda Hurley; J-format videotape, produced by Ballet Victoria; black and white, sound, PAL, 75 mins; This recording contains two full runs of Rip Tide, one long shot, one close up, as well as repeats of various sections of the ballet, also shot in close up. The world premiere of Gore's Rip Tide to a piano trio by Shostakovitch took place during Ballet Victoria's second season for 1974, which opened on 16 July 1974. Gore dedicated the work to the three dancers who performed it. Program notes stated: 'It illustrates, perhaps, an ending and a new beginning'. The work was also briefly known (during the rehearsal period) as Shosta.; Ballet Victoria; Location:; The Keep Dancing! Collection; National Film and Sound Archive; Title no: 390792

[Shosta], 1974 (Moving picture): Choreography: Walter Gore; Music: Shostakovitch; Cast: Dianne Parrington, Karl Welander, Gary Hill.; J-format videotape, produced by Ballet Victoria; black and white, sound, PAL, 27 mins; A studio rehearsal of Walter Gore's ballet Shosta, later known as Rip Tide. The world premiere of Gore's Rip Tide to a piano trio by Shostakovitch took place during Ballet Victoria's second season for 1974.; Ballet Victoria; Location:; The Keep Dancing! Collection; National Film and Sound Archive; Title no: 390826

Simple Symphony, 1948 (Moving picture): Choreography: Walter Gore; Music: Benjamin Britten; Cast: Artists of Ballet Rambert; J-format videotape, original film produced by the Department of Public Instruction, Queensland; black and white, sound, 14 mins; This recording shows Walter Gore's ballet being performed out of doors by Ballet Rambert dancers during their Australian tour. Three parts are presented: 'Boisterous Bouree', 'Playful Pizzicato' and 'Frolicsome Finale'. Excerpts from a fourth part 'Sentimental Saraband' appear at the end of the footage. Simple Symphony was originally produced for Ballet Rambert in London in 1944.; Simple Symphony ; Ballet Rambert Australian tour; Location:; The Keep Dancing! Collection; National Film and Sound Archive; Title no: 390805

Research Materials Top

Other resources

Find more about Gore, Walter in:

Internet - Google
Articles - New York Public Library Dance Collection
Pictures - Picture Australia
Libraries - Libraries Australia