Here's a snippet: "Our dancing activities weren't restricted to the Dancing Classes. Each year there was the St Mary's Diocesan School Dance held in their school hall in Stratford. We were bused there but were only allowed to board the vehicle after a perfunctory dress check. Needless to say our 'winkle picker' shoes were smuggled into the bus in our coat pockets"
In recent weeks I have been following the contemporary blog site that is published by today's Boarders. It is an excellent diary of day-to day activities that take place at NPBHS.
(Editor's Note: You can see the original post content by positioning your mouse over the 'Boarding Life' tab at the top of this site and you will see the drop-down link to the blog)
The posting that intrigued me most was one entitled "St Mary's Pays A Visit". Judging from the photos the dress code is markedly different form that enforced upon us in the Sixties - I would go so far as to say that there doesn't appear to be one!.
Dancing with wild abandon has much to commend it - so much more entertaining than the "Twist" and the "Stomp" that punctuated our dance routines.
Incidentally, "The Twist" had its origins way back in the 1890's and was inspired by an African American plantation dance called "wringin' and twistin". We certainly did a lot of both when we performed its more modern interpretation with our dance partners.
I note also that going bare chested seems to be de rigueur as are Warriors rugby league caps and bush singlets.
In one photograph I thought I spied someone wielding a butterfly net?! Someone need to tell that young man in question that this is definitely not the way to capture the attentions of the opposite sex.
But what I find refreshing is that everyone is having a great time. Not sure how the officiating Masters and Mistresses found managing the dance. It was teaching responsibility fraught with difficulty in our time but perhaps this is no longer so?