The World Wide Gangshow Forum

Apart from amateur 'Dance' and 'Show Business' 'The New Scala Theatre' hosted a series of 'Festivals of Ballet' where 'Principal' Dancers and other 'lessor mortals' would fill the 'Scala Stage' with 'Classical' set pieces of Dance.Not quite the Classicals of Dance but pieces where Dancers could "Show Off".Sometimes it was found the choreography Outdanced those who were required to do the Dancing.'Madame xxxx who perhaps was just a little 'too' over the hill to maintain the illusion that she might in some way be seen as a 'Wood Nymph'.Whatever age 'Wood Nymphs are it is always this side of forty-the low end.Likewise with the Fairy Troop who might be 'young girls' of perhaps twelve or under who were hoping that they one day would perhaps receive the 'Mantle of Prima Ballerina' and would perhaps be able to travel to some of the Coastal Entertainment Fleshpots such as Margate,Hastings and Brighton.For Rover scouts and the increasing number of 'Young Boy Scouts' (10 in 1932 then 'onwards and upwards') the 'burlesque ballet' in it's many forms was a must for any London gang Show and became an essential part of Regional and County Gang Shows and Local Boy Scout Troop Shows no matter how short the actual Show and how young those Boy Scouts or Wolf Cubs Performers were.There was always a series of "Ballerinas" who would apear from Somewhere onto the Stage.In many early Shows the "girls" would perhaps perform as an interlude between 'Acts'.Taking their cue from 'Intermedi 'Una "Stravaganza" Dei Medici of 1589' or perhaps 'The Masque of the Boys' from the 'Seven Ages of Mr Henry Upton' in the NPG here in London.As the Boy Scouts in the 1930's tried 'Boyfully' to keep a 'strait face' or not to look too 'terrified' at the prospect of having their wigs and hair pieces knocked off and their knickers joining their plimsolls on Stage for this was the Gang Show where "Anything Goes" including a Patrol Leaders tutu.Dr.Stu..