Thora Dumbell - Trinidadian Dance Pioneer, Choreographer and teacher (1924 - 2022).

Original photo courtesy Suzette Garanito c late 1950's via Thora Dumbell's Girls.

"Born Thora Thomas on January 12th, 1924, Dumbell embarked upon her dance career at the tender age of three. Her talent was so obvious that she subsequently appeared in two movies: a British film at the age of eight, and at 11, Warner Brothers’ adaptation of the musical “New Faces of 1936.”
Dancing was instinctive to her, and she dedicated much of her life to her first love. Her other love was her family, not just within her own family, but extending outward to the larger community of youngsters she would teach to dance when she opened her school in 1950. The school, which eventually made its home at the Chinese Association building on the outskirts of the capital, continued to thrive well into the 1990s, finally closing its doors around the turn of the century.
The Thora Dumbell School of Dance would put on annual shows, often partnering with friends and creative collaborators like Carnival designer Wayne Berkeley, with whom she produced “Broadway in Concert” at Queen's Hall. Dumbell actually performed at Queen's Hall's grand opening in June 1959.
Dumbell's dance troupes, which mastered various styles of dance, from ballet and tap to modern, jazz and folk, and featured students of varying ages, were constantly in demand to perform nationally. Together with fellow dance pioneer Beryl McBurnie, Dumbell was involved in organizing a rally of 6,000 children at the Queen's Park Oval in Port of Spain in honor of Queen Elizabeth II‘s 1966 visit to Trinidad. She coordinated similar events for a 1968 visit by India's prime minister Indira Gandhi and, as a staunch Catholic, for Pope John Paul II in 1985.
Dumbell's love for and understanding of children, her knowledge of dance and movement, and her boundless creativity made her a sought-after judge for the country's annual Red Cross Kiddies Carnival competition and Easter bonnet parades. The child-like delight on her face when she saw a particularly innovative design or a competitor with natural stage presence was as much of a joy to witness as the contests themselves.
in 1978, Dumbell was honored with the Humming Bird Medal (Gold), for her work in the area of community service. On the morning of November 4th, “Auntie Thora” as she was fondly known, passed away at her home at the age of 98. Dumbell was a polestar, a place to call home for thousands of graduates from The Thora Dumbell School of Dance, her “girls,” as she called them, and as they, too, referred to themselves."
Captions courtesy "Thora Dumbell, a cornerstone of dance education in Trinidad & Tobago, passes on." by Janine Mendes-Franco via Global Voices.
(Source: Angelo Bissessarsingh's Virtual Museum of Trinidad & Tobago, Nov. 10, 2024)