Tiller Girls
Encyclopedia
The Tiller Girls were among the most popular dance troupes of the 1900s, first formed by John Tiller
in Manchester
, England
, in 1890. Whilst on visits to the theatre
, Tiller had noticed the overall effect of a chorus
of dancers was often spoiled by lack of discipline. Tiller found that by linking arms the dancers could dance as one; he is credited with inventing precision dance. Possibly most famous for their high-kicking routines, the Tiller Girls were highly trained and precise.
John Tiller's first dancers performed as 'Les Jolies Petites'. He originally formed the group the pantomime 'Robinson Crusoe' subtitled
'The Good Friday That Came On A Saturday' in 1890 at the Prince of Wales Theatre, Liverpool. and from this were founded the Tiller School of dancing and the Tiller Girl troupes. The number of troupes grew to dozens, and their fame spread around the world. The troupes were all slightly different, but within each troupe the girls were matched very precisely for height and weight. Individuality within the troupes was discouraged in favour of a strong group ethic. The Tillers performed as resident dancers at the Folies Bergère in Paris, the London Palladium
, the Palace Theatres in Manchester
and in London
(as the Palace Girls or Sunshine Girls), the Blackpool Winter Gardens, on New York's Broadway
, where Tiller had a dance school, and at hundreds of other theatres over the British Isles
, the Continent
and the United States
.
Siegfried Kracauer
stated in 1923, "These 76 energetic women dance about in geometric shapes: the regularity of their patterns is cheered by the masses, themselves arranged by the stands in tier upon ordered tier."
In certain shows a Tiller line-up could be as many as 32 girls who were selected for uniform height and weight. In 1923 the stage play Nifties of 1923 featured twelve Tiller Girls.
's death in 1925 the U.K. Tiller schools were kept alive first by his wife Jennie Tiller, then by some of the head girls. (The U.S. Tiller school in New York City was continued under the leadership of Mary Read until 1935.) However, as attitudes changed in the early 1970s so did dance, and the precision kicking routines of The Tillers were considered dated. For the first time since their inception the popularity of Tillers waned. However, the legend was to be kept alive by the very ladies that retired in the late 1960s and early 70s. In 1989, following a request by the Parkinsons Society to Mrs Sandy Jones, herself an ex Tiller Girl, a line-up of the original 1950s and 1960s Tiller Girls was organised, and the ladies returned to the stage for a benefit performance to aid the actor Terry-Thomas
. This unexpected comeback and the resultant publicity that ensued led to the formation of The 1960s Tiller Girls under the stewardship of Bruce Vincent and resident choreographer and original Head Girl Wendy Clarke. The 1960s Tillers continued kicking for over 300 shows at theatres and on television, many at the London Palladium
and prestigious charitable events all over the UK, including 40 Glorious Years (for HRH The Queen), and were semi-adopted by Lily Savage, aka Paul O'Grady
, for his shows and videos in the 1990s. The ladies announced their retirement in April 2009, on The Paul O'Grady Show
, after having danced with the current hot band of America and teen idols, the Jonas Brothers
. At that time most of the ladies were in their mid to late 60s and early 70s in age. The last official routine was held at the London Palladium, the girls' official home, at the end of 2008, at a benefit for ex-servicemen.
The Radio City Music Hall Rockettes
, an American dance troupe, follow and keep alive the Tiller Girls tradition of high-kicking precision dancing.
, reminisced:
"I had seen the Tiller girls in the Ziegfeld Follies
of 1922. If I ever got a chance to get a group of American girls who would be taller and have longer legs and could do really complicated tap routines and eye-high kicks, they'd knock your socks off!"
Many a Tiller girl would be a little offended at this remark, as many of the Tiller Ballet and Tap Routines have never been replicated with such precision. However the Rockettes Kick routines today are precision dance at its very best, original and real entertainment.
The Rockettes first kicked to life in 1925 as the "Missouri Rockets" and made their show business debut in St. Louis
, the realization of a long-time dream of their creator, Russell Markert.
It is known that some of the Tiller Girls and American girls who trained with Mary Read were also involved in the Rockettes. One girl, Lily Smart, who trained with the Tiller School of Dance in Manchester
and was with the 1922 troupe in the Ziegfeld Follies, settled in America and joined the Rockettes, performing with them for many years. Russell Markert added his own style to the Precision Dance routines; this found its way back to the Tiller girls in the United Kingdom.
Girls that had visited the USA during the late 1930s and 40s danced for the troops and liked the American style of dancing and the costumes with headdresses that they saw. American films also showed showgirls and had a big impact on the British audience. From the late 1940s through the 1970s the Tiller girls adopted a lot of the American showgirl styles that could trace their roots back to “Les Folies-Bergère” in the late 1890s.
John Tiller
John Thomas Ibbotson Tiller was a musical theatre director who was credited with inventing precision dance and was the originator of the 'Tiller Girls'.-Biography:...
in Manchester
Manchester
Manchester is a city and metropolitan borough in Greater Manchester, England. According to the Office for National Statistics, the 2010 mid-year population estimate for Manchester was 498,800. Manchester lies within one of the UK's largest metropolitan areas, the metropolitan county of Greater...
, England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
, in 1890. Whilst on visits to the theatre
Theatre
Theatre is a collaborative form of fine art that uses live performers to present the experience of a real or imagined event before a live audience in a specific place. The performers may communicate this experience to the audience through combinations of gesture, speech, song, music or dance...
, Tiller had noticed the overall effect of a chorus
Choir
A choir, chorale or chorus is a musical ensemble of singers. Choral music, in turn, is the music written specifically for such an ensemble to perform.A body of singers who perform together as a group is called a choir or chorus...
of dancers was often spoiled by lack of discipline. Tiller found that by linking arms the dancers could dance as one; he is credited with inventing precision dance. Possibly most famous for their high-kicking routines, the Tiller Girls were highly trained and precise.
John Tiller's first dancers performed as 'Les Jolies Petites'. He originally formed the group the pantomime 'Robinson Crusoe' subtitled
'The Good Friday That Came On A Saturday' in 1890 at the Prince of Wales Theatre, Liverpool. and from this were founded the Tiller School of dancing and the Tiller Girl troupes. The number of troupes grew to dozens, and their fame spread around the world. The troupes were all slightly different, but within each troupe the girls were matched very precisely for height and weight. Individuality within the troupes was discouraged in favour of a strong group ethic. The Tillers performed as resident dancers at the Folies Bergère in Paris, the London Palladium
London Palladium
The London Palladium is a 2,286 seat West End theatre located off Oxford Street in the City of Westminster. From the roster of stars who have played there and many televised performances, it is arguably the most famous theatre in London and the United Kingdom, especially for musical variety...
, the Palace Theatres in Manchester
Palace Theatre, Manchester
The Palace Theatre, Manchester, is one of the main theatres in Manchester, England. It is situated on Oxford Street, on the north-east corner of the intersection with Whitworth Street. The Palace and its 'sister' theatre the Manchester Opera House on Quay Street are operated by the same parent...
and in London
Palace Theatre, London
The Palace Theatre is a West End theatre in the City of Westminster in London. It is an imposing red-brick building that dominates the west side of Cambridge Circus and is located near the intersection of Shaftesbury Avenue and Charing Cross Road...
(as the Palace Girls or Sunshine Girls), the Blackpool Winter Gardens, on New York's Broadway
Broadway theatre
Broadway theatre, commonly called simply Broadway, refers to theatrical performances presented in one of the 40 professional theatres with 500 or more seats located in the Theatre District centered along Broadway, and in Lincoln Center, in Manhattan in New York City...
, where Tiller had a dance school, and at hundreds of other theatres over the British Isles
British Isles
The British Isles are a group of islands off the northwest coast of continental Europe that include the islands of Great Britain and Ireland and over six thousand smaller isles. There are two sovereign states located on the islands: the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland and...
, the Continent
Europe
Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...
and the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
.
Tiller routines and line-ups
The Tiller Girls performed a 'Tap and Kick' routine, which was originally called 'Fancy-Dancing' but today is known as 'Precision Dancing'. The routines may consist of straight lines or geometric figures. Every tap and kick troupe has tried to steer away from Tiller's arrangements, but sooner or later conforms to Tiller's methods.Siegfried Kracauer
Siegfried Kracauer
Siegfried Kracauer was a German-Jewish writer, journalist, sociologist, cultural critic, and film theorist...
stated in 1923, "These 76 energetic women dance about in geometric shapes: the regularity of their patterns is cheered by the masses, themselves arranged by the stands in tier upon ordered tier."
In certain shows a Tiller line-up could be as many as 32 girls who were selected for uniform height and weight. In 1923 the stage play Nifties of 1923 featured twelve Tiller Girls.
After John Tiller
After John TillerJohn Tiller
John Thomas Ibbotson Tiller was a musical theatre director who was credited with inventing precision dance and was the originator of the 'Tiller Girls'.-Biography:...
's death in 1925 the U.K. Tiller schools were kept alive first by his wife Jennie Tiller, then by some of the head girls. (The U.S. Tiller school in New York City was continued under the leadership of Mary Read until 1935.) However, as attitudes changed in the early 1970s so did dance, and the precision kicking routines of The Tillers were considered dated. For the first time since their inception the popularity of Tillers waned. However, the legend was to be kept alive by the very ladies that retired in the late 1960s and early 70s. In 1989, following a request by the Parkinsons Society to Mrs Sandy Jones, herself an ex Tiller Girl, a line-up of the original 1950s and 1960s Tiller Girls was organised, and the ladies returned to the stage for a benefit performance to aid the actor Terry-Thomas
Terry-Thomas
Thomas Terry Hoar Stevens was a distinctive English comic actor, known as Terry-Thomas. He was famous for his portrayal of disreputable members of the upper classes, especially cads and toffs, with the trademark gap in his front teeth, cigarette holder, smoking jacket, and catch-phrases such as...
. This unexpected comeback and the resultant publicity that ensued led to the formation of The 1960s Tiller Girls under the stewardship of Bruce Vincent and resident choreographer and original Head Girl Wendy Clarke. The 1960s Tillers continued kicking for over 300 shows at theatres and on television, many at the London Palladium
London Palladium
The London Palladium is a 2,286 seat West End theatre located off Oxford Street in the City of Westminster. From the roster of stars who have played there and many televised performances, it is arguably the most famous theatre in London and the United Kingdom, especially for musical variety...
and prestigious charitable events all over the UK, including 40 Glorious Years (for HRH The Queen), and were semi-adopted by Lily Savage, aka Paul O'Grady
Paul O'Grady
Paul James Michael O'Grady MBE is an English comedian, television presenter, actor, writer and radio DJ. He is best known for presenting the daytime chat television series, The Paul O'Grady Show and, more recently, Paul O'Grady Live, as well as his drag queen comedic alter ego, Lily Savage, as...
, for his shows and videos in the 1990s. The ladies announced their retirement in April 2009, on The Paul O'Grady Show
The Paul O'Grady Show
The Paul O'Grady Show was a BAFTA award-winning British comedy chat show hosted by Birkenhead-born comedian Paul O'Grady. The format was originally devised by Granada Television and was broadcast on ITV before moving to Channel 4...
, after having danced with the current hot band of America and teen idols, the Jonas Brothers
Jonas Brothers
The Jonas Brothers are an American boy band. The band gained its popularity from the Disney Channel children's television network. From the shore region of New Jersey, the band consists of three brothers: Paul Kevin Jonas II , Joseph Adam Jonas , and Nicholas Jerry Jonas...
. At that time most of the ladies were in their mid to late 60s and early 70s in age. The last official routine was held at the London Palladium, the girls' official home, at the end of 2008, at a benefit for ex-servicemen.
The Radio City Music Hall Rockettes
The Rockettes
The Rockettes are a precision dance company performing out of the Radio City Music Hall in Manhattan, New York City. During the Christmas season, the Rockettes have performed five shows a day, seven days a week, for 77 years...
, an American dance troupe, follow and keep alive the Tiller Girls tradition of high-kicking precision dancing.
The Radio City Rockettes connection
Russell Markert, founder of The RockettesThe Rockettes
The Rockettes are a precision dance company performing out of the Radio City Music Hall in Manhattan, New York City. During the Christmas season, the Rockettes have performed five shows a day, seven days a week, for 77 years...
, reminisced:
"I had seen the Tiller girls in the Ziegfeld Follies
Ziegfeld Follies
The Ziegfeld Follies were a series of elaborate theatrical productions on Broadway in New York City from 1907 through 1931. They became a radio program in 1932 and 1936 as The Ziegfeld Follies of the Air....
of 1922. If I ever got a chance to get a group of American girls who would be taller and have longer legs and could do really complicated tap routines and eye-high kicks, they'd knock your socks off!"
Many a Tiller girl would be a little offended at this remark, as many of the Tiller Ballet and Tap Routines have never been replicated with such precision. However the Rockettes Kick routines today are precision dance at its very best, original and real entertainment.
The Rockettes first kicked to life in 1925 as the "Missouri Rockets" and made their show business debut in St. Louis
St. Louis, Missouri
St. Louis is an independent city on the eastern border of Missouri, United States. With a population of 319,294, it was the 58th-largest U.S. city at the 2010 U.S. Census. The Greater St...
, the realization of a long-time dream of their creator, Russell Markert.
It is known that some of the Tiller Girls and American girls who trained with Mary Read were also involved in the Rockettes. One girl, Lily Smart, who trained with the Tiller School of Dance in Manchester
Manchester
Manchester is a city and metropolitan borough in Greater Manchester, England. According to the Office for National Statistics, the 2010 mid-year population estimate for Manchester was 498,800. Manchester lies within one of the UK's largest metropolitan areas, the metropolitan county of Greater...
and was with the 1922 troupe in the Ziegfeld Follies, settled in America and joined the Rockettes, performing with them for many years. Russell Markert added his own style to the Precision Dance routines; this found its way back to the Tiller girls in the United Kingdom.
Girls that had visited the USA during the late 1930s and 40s danced for the troops and liked the American style of dancing and the costumes with headdresses that they saw. American films also showed showgirls and had a big impact on the British audience. From the late 1940s through the 1970s the Tiller girls adopted a lot of the American showgirl styles that could trace their roots back to “Les Folies-Bergère” in the late 1890s.
Former Tiller Girls
- Betty BoothroydBetty BoothroydBetty Boothroyd, Baroness Boothroyd, OM, PC is a British politician, who served as Member of Parliament for West Bromwich and West Bromwich West from 1973 to 2000, initially for the Labour Party and, from 1992 to 2000, as Speaker of the House of Commons...
, Speaker of the House of Commons (1992–2000) - Avril Owton, Honoree Member of the Leading Women Entrepreneurs of the World
- Gloria PaulGloria PaulGloria Paul is a retired Anglo Italian film actress.Gloria Paul was considered for the role of Domino Derval 1965 James Bond film Thunderball...
, actress/dancer (Darling Lili, The Intelligence Men) - Sunny RogersSunny RogersSunny Rogers was an English entertainer best known for her work with comedian Frankie Howerd.Rogers was born Jessie Mary Rogerson in Ashton-under-Lyne, Lancashire. Her nickname "Sunny" comes from her constant smiling...
, accompanying pianist to comedian Frankie HowerdFrankie HowerdFrancis Alick "Frankie" Howerd OBE was an English comedian and comic actor whose career, described by fellow comedian Barry Cryer as "a series of comebacks", spanned six decades.-Early career:... - Doremy VernonDoremy VernonDoremy Vernon is an English actress and former Tiller Girl who was born in London, England, and is best known for playing the Canteen Manageress in the long-running BBC comedy Are You Being Served?....
, actress (Are You Being Served?Are You Being Served?Are You Being Served? is a British sitcom broadcast from 1972 to 1985. It was set in the ladies' and gentlemen's clothing departments of Grace Brothers, a large, fictional London department store. It was written mainly by Jeremy Lloyd and David Croft, with contributions by Michael Knowles and John...
) and author - Diana VreelandDiana VreelandDiana Vreeland was a noted columnist and editor in the field of fashion. She worked for the fashion magazines Harper's Bazaar and Vogue and the Costume Institute of the Metropolitan Museum of Art.Born as Diana Dalziel, Vreeland was the eldest daughter of American socialite mother Emily Key Hoffman...
, former Editor-in-chief of VogueVogue (magazine)Vogue is a fashion and lifestyle magazine that is published monthly in 18 national and one regional edition by Condé Nast.-History:In 1892 Arthur Turnure founded Vogue as a weekly publication in the United States. When he died in 1909, Condé Montrose Nast picked up the magazine and slowly began...
External links
- Entry at PeoplePlay UK (UK Museum of Performance)
- Bernard Tiller's Tiller Girls Web Site) Bernard Tiller's Tiller Girls Web Site Pages of information on John Tiller, The Tiller Girl Dancers and the Tiller School of Dancing