MISSING . . . and FOUND!
THE DAILY MAIL offers readers a unique opportunity to re-establish contact with long-lost relatives and friends. Each week, MONICA PORTER features the story of someone trying to find a missing loved one, as well as a tale of people reunited. This column is produced in conjunction with the voluntary tracing service, Searching For A Memory, run by Gill and John Whitley.
VANITA LOVELOCK (nee harvey) writes: I WONDER if you could help me trace old friends from a six-woman dance troupe called the Manhattan Dancers.
we were together for two years, forming in 1958 i n Bristol, and performed i n Ghent, Belgium, and U.S. air force camps in wiesbaden, Germany.
we also toured variety theatres and did a summer season in Skegness in 1960. our choreographer was Basil Patterson and musical director was Arthur Parkman.
The other dancers were: Judy Colman, Viv Saunders, Kim Lawrence, Ann Horley and Ann Holloway. we all came from Bristol except Kim, who was from Bridgend in wales. we would appreciate anyone you can find from our great days.
After being t aught our routines by Basil and having our costumes made, we did a few shows at Colston Hall, Bristol, and a couple of TV shows in wales, then travelled around England performing at the Continental Theatre in Chatham, Kent (where we lived on a houseboat outside the theatre — great fun), Huddersfield, Hull and Castleford.
After this long season, we went to Ghent for Christmas 1959. our next booking was at Easter 1960 at the bases in Germany. on our return, we were booked for a summer at the Derbyshire miners’ holiday camp in Skegness.
This was a very long season and we disbanded when it finished in autumn 1960, and everyone went their separate ways. I believe Ann Holloway went to Butlin’s in Bognor Regis. Judy and I have kept in touch over the years and live quite near each other, but we lost touch with everyone else.