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Homage To Victor Silvester / Finlay, Ian Hamilton; Harvey, Michael., 1973

 Item
Identifier: CC-11983-12206

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Scope and Contents

Image on the card is a map of a sea battle off the Italian coast during WWII that has the appearance of choreographed dance steps. 'Victor Sylvester's Ballroom Orchestra' was one of the leading dance band of the 1940s era. Victor Sylvester's early career was as a world champion exhibition dancer, who was also teaching ballroom dancing with his sister Gwen. In the late 1920s and early 1930s, there was a lack of good dance recordings that featured a constant tempo, something Sylvester needed for his dance studio. Most of the studios used a rather simple hand-wound phonograph to play recordings. With characteristic verve, Sylvester assembled a few musicians and made his own recording featuring songs with the pronounced beat so needed by dancers. Soon, other dance instructors were buying his records. Among his releases were "Ballroom Dancing with Victor Silvester & His Ballroom Orchestra", and "Dancing On My Heart". Interestingly, he also authored the book "Victor Sylvester's Modern Ballroom Dancing." Victor Sylvester held the record for the longest running weekly BBC radio program with his show that ran continuously for 25 years. The band was heard on the "Beeb" all through the World War 2 years. Then, -continued as the first ever television dance program on TV. -- Source of annotation: Marvin or Ruth Sackner.

Dates

  • Creation: 1973

Creator

Extent

0 See container summary (1 card) ; 12 x 14 cm

Language of Materials

From the Collection: English

Physical Location

box shelf

Custodial History

The Sackner Archive of Concrete and Visual Poetry, on loan from Ruth and Marvin A. Sackner and the Sackner Family Partnership.

General

Published: Dunsyre Lanark, Scotland : Wild Hawthorn Press. Nationality of creator: Scottish and British. General: Added by: CONV; updated by: MARVIN.

Repository Details

Part of the The Ruth and Marvin Sackner Archive of Concrete and Visual Poetry Repository

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