Anny Boalth
From The Link, July 1934, p.6
The Link was the newsletter associated with the Association of the Teachers of the Revived Greek Dance, and the Ginner-Mawer School of Speech and Dramatic Art. Although the Institute of Mime was not mentioned on the front cover in the same way that the other two organisations were, the magazine was, nevertheless, the conduit for news about the Institute of Mime, which had been founded by Irene Mawer a year or so previously.
On page 6 of this copy of The Link, we have an update on news from the Institute of Mime. Along with information about results of the summer examination, lectures, and forthcoming summer schools, there is a note about the Annual Meeting. This was held on Sunday, July 4, at Hotel Washington.
What might interest us most about the Annual Meeting is what happened immediately prior to the formal session – “…preceded by a most interesting class on ‘Some New Aspects of Dramatic Movement’ by Miss Anny Boalth of the Laban School.’ Unfortunately, that is all that we get told!
A quick web search shows that Anny Boalth was an early advocate of Laban and his method. She had been born in Denmark, and brought up in Germany, where she trained under Rudolf von Laban.
After emigrating to England in the 1930s, she taught movement for dancers and actors, using the pioneering Laban technique of discovering new ways to move and dance.
The Institute of Mime was very new at this point and it is fascinating that Mawer was including such an innovative attitude to movement. This interest in new ideas was to be a regular occurrence, for example, we know that a few years later (1938), Michel Saint Denis was also invited to give a lecture-demonstration, showcasing his new way of approaching movement. (Please see previous blog posts for further information.)
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Anny Boalth was my Great Aunt…I can share an image of her with you if it would be helpful?
Hello Lindy. Thank you for your reply. Yes, please – I would love you to share an image of your Great Aunt.
There are so many inspiring women whose histories need to be recorded, acknowledged and kept alive. There doesn’t seem to be a biography of Anny – maybe you could write it?
If you have a website for yourself (business or personal), please feel free to share a link if you would like to.
Did Anny leave a treasure trove of books and papers? Sadly, not many of Irene Mawer’s theatrical and literary collection remains with us today and it has been a labourious (but fun) process of discovering information about her.
Thank you for being in touch and I am looking forward to seeing the image.
Dear Lindy and Janet,
I am currently doing research on Anny Boalth and her connections to a Czech dancer named Milča Mayerová, another inspiring woman whose history needs to be recorded and acknowledged! There are materials and photographs of Anny at the Dance Library of Trinity Laban Conservatoire in London near Greenwich. I came across this blog post while searching for information on someone in the photographs who seems to be named Luelita Boalth.
Dear Cynthia, thank you very much for your comment. I do hope that you see this reply. I would be very interested to be in touch with you to swap notes on how to bring interesting women from history to light in the modern day. That is my intention with Irene Mawer, as she has been forgotten about and it seems that you are doing the same for Anny Boalth and Milca Mayerova. I don’t have any other information about any of the women that you mention, but I wish you luck in your research. Will you be publishing a book? I plan to release three books about Miss Mawer, hopefully in 2025. By all means let me have any relevant web links and I will be happy to put them on this website. Best wishes, Janet.