Joan Hill (South Africa)
I was born in Mufulira, Northern Rhodesia, in 1935.
In the 1920s my mother had a ballet school in Lusaka. My family moved to Bulawayo in Southern Rhodesia around 1937 and I was very fortunate to have been enrolled in the Elaine Archibald School of Dancing.
In 1944 I took my first exam, the Royal Academy of Dance Grade 1. My Examiner was Poppy Frames. I well remember the nervous excitement I felt waiting to be called into the examination room!
At that time the Patron of all the RAD was Queen Mary. I have sometimes wondered how the examiners travelled to Africa, I presume they went by sea and then train from the coast to Rhodesia, which would have taken months. There was no air travel in those days.
I then completed grades 2, 3, 4 and 5 over the following years, achieving 85+ in all of them. My examiners for grades 2-5 were M Sturman, Frida Fran, Irene MacGillivray and Felix Demery.
That was the end of my ballet and my life has taken a lot of twists and turns, during which I became a Rhodesian and South African swimming champion, and record holder for four years.
I married in 1956 and subsequently had four daughters. I coached Rhodesian and South African synchronised swimming teams and always felt that my love and experience of ballet was a great advantage in coaching. I ran a very busy swimming school for 50 years and must have taught hundreds of children and adults over the years. My girls became swimming, diving and synchronised swimming champions, and represented Rhodesia and South Africa. One of my girls dived in the Olympic Games in Moscow.
In 2008 I moved to London, and now have three of my girls in the UK and one in the USA.
As the years have passed I have tried to keep fit in various ways. A few years ago I was thinking that ballet would really be a great way to do this. I looked online and was so lucky to see that the Royal Academy of Dance was about to start Silver Swans classes and so I enrolled. I have so loved these classes. We have had a great teacher in Sarah Platt. It has been a wonderful way to keep moving!
I am not finding the classes too easy these days at the age of 84+, but hope to continue as long as my body allows.
Thank you, Royal Academy of Dance.
