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

Interview with Cecil Bates, 2005 (Oral history): Interviewer: Michelle Potter; Interviewee: Bates, Cecil; Audiofile; 180 mins; Cecil Bates begins this interview with a discussion of his family and the theatrical atmosphere in which he was brought up. He continues by speaking of his dance training before speaking about his time as a dancer with Ballet Rambert, both in Australia during the tour of 1947 to 1949 and in England following the tour. He also spends some time talking about his work with Walter Gore Ballet, Australian Theatre Ballet, his teaching career in South Australia, and some of the works he choreographed on his return to Australia.; Bates, Cecil ; Ballet Rambert Australian tour ; Australian Theatre Ballet; Location:; National Library of Australia; TRC 5492

Lynkushka, Angela: Portrait of Harold Collins, 1992 or 1993

Interview with Harold Collins, 1986; 1991 (Oral history): Interviewee: Collins, Harold; Interviewer: Bill Stephens; Audiotape, 300 mins; In this interview recorded in two parts, Harold Collins speaks at length about his directorship of the Queensland Ballet including his appointment, the company's repertoire and the works he has choreographed himself. He also discusses his family background and childhood his career as a dancer outside Australia and in Queensland. Some of the artists he refers to in the course of the interview are Charles Lisner, Graeme Murphy, Walter Gore and Harry Haythorne.; Queensland Ballet, The ; Lisner, Charles ; Murphy, Graeme ; Collins, Harold ; Haythorne, Harry; Location:; National Library of Australia; TRC 2048
nla.cat-vn2220244

Interview with Harry Haythorne, 2000 (Oral history): Interviewee: Haythorne, Harry; Interviewer: Michelle Potter; Audiotape; 510 mins; Harry Haythorne discusses in depth his artistic directorship of the Queensland Ballet between 1975 and 1978. He speaks in particular about his reasons for applying, the position being initially offered to Walter Gore, the state of the company when he arrived, his support staff, touring within Australia and overseas, developing performances for and with children, the board, Hans Brenaa and his work with the company, and his leaving the company. During the course of the interview Haythorne also talks about his work with the Australian Ballet, and about Graeme Murphy's production of Nutcracker, Stanton Welch's version of Cinderella and Peggy van Praagh's staging of Coppelia for that company. He gives details of his family, his early career, and talks about going overseas to study and work. Some of the international companies he speaks about are Ballet Rambert, Metropolitan Ballet, International Ballet, London Ballet, Western Theatre Ballet, Scottish Ballet and the company of Leonide Massine. The interview also contains many references to Haythorne's directorship of the Royal New Zealand Ballet. Some of the artists he mentions in some detail are Mona Inglesby, Walter Gore, Paula Hinton, Leonide Massine, Peter Darrell and Poul Gnatt.; Queensland Ballet, The ; Australian Ballet, The ; Murphy, Graeme ; Ballet Rambert Australian tour ; Haythorne, Harry ; Welch, Stanton ; Nutcracker ; Massine, Leonide ; Gnatt, Poul ; Cinderella ; Coppelia; Location:; The Keep Dancing! Oral History Project; National Library of Australia; TRC 4560
nla.cat-vn1870883; Written permission required for research use

Interview with Kenneth Rowell, 1989

Interview with Kenneth Rowell, 1989 (Oral history): Interviewee: Rowell, Kenneth; Interviewer: Michelle Potter; Audiotape; 90 mins; Kenneth Rowell talks about the influence of the Ballet Rambert tour to Australia and focuses especially on his commission to design Walter Gore's Winter Night for that company. The interview also includes material relating to Rowell's career with a variety of dance and theatre companies in both England and Australia, including considerable discussion of his approach to and philosophy of theatre design.

A brief audio extract from this interview is contained in the National Library of Australia's exhibition Dance people dance. See 'Artistic impact (Item 6)'.; Ballet Rambert Australian tour ; Winter Night ; Rowell, Kenneth; Location:; Esso Performing Arts and Oral History Archive Project; National Library of Australia; TRC 2452
nla.cat-vn1160729

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