Natalie Neal Skelton - Tutu Marvelous for Words
Natalie Neal was born on Sunday, June 25, 1917 on a plantation seven miles from Alexandria, Louisiana. The doctor came in a buggy that morning, had time to have lunch and even dinner before she was born. From that entrance Natalie's life is so crowded that a narrative sounds like the History of Dance in Dallas - because she is!
The family left Louisiana when she was a child. There were only two dance studios in Dallas; Mr. Newman was downtown so she studied with the other teacher, Ada Virginia Achternacht. Here is an excerpt from the local newspaper in 1933:
"The outstanding act of the show was the Web of Love number, featuring Ada Virginia Achternacht and Natalie Neal. This number is good enough for an Earl Carroll show any day." This was part of "The Breadline Follies of 1933 sponsored by Dallas Sunshine Club for benefit of unemployed actors."
While in high school, Natalie began dancing with Ruth Laird's Texas Rockets. Every weekend the girls would tour Texas performing in clubs and floorshows.
"There were so many clubs in those days," Natalie remembers.
At the beginning of the week, a teacher would invariably asked where she had been over the weekend. This was not a warning but a running joke. The Rockets traveled.
Before Natalie's senior year in high school, Ada Virginia became pregnant. In those days married women did not work during pregnancy and Ada Virginia went to Natalie's parents and asked their permission to have Natalie run her dance school for a year. She suggested that Natalie drop out of high school, teach five days a week for the season and then return to high school to obtain her credits to graduate. Natalie's parents said yes! So Natalie became a high school drop out and was suppose to be paid $25 per month. Over the year she received one check, but kept teaching. Then she went back to school and graduated with the class originally behind her.
Natalie married Doug Skelton in 1943 just before he left for overseas service in World War II. He died in 1976.
Natalie is a Lifetime Member of Texas Association of Teachers of Dancing. After not teaching for several years, Virginia Self asked Natalie to teach for her. Natalie joined TATD in 1954 and with a laugh tells how Emmamae Horn from Houston gave her the audition examination between twin beds in a hotel room.
When she served as president 1967-69, she assisted in planning the annual Normal School with new emphasis on ballet. Natalie is proud of that TATD was the first organization to have Robert Joffrey as guest teacher. The faculty in 1968 included Fernando Schaffenburg for ballet; Jackie Troup Miller for tap; Hilda Patterson, jazz; Jurgen Pagels, character; Judith Sproule, children's work and Jerry Bywaters Cochran for modern dance. Melba Huber served as Normal School Principal.
Natalie and Doug Skelton taught ballroom for TATD and became fast friends and colleagues with Don and Lorraine Cranford. With a wistful look Natalie comments,"Doug was a marvelous dancer. In a social situation he would dance with me. He was such a gentleman. He would dance with every woman at our table. Then he would spend the rest of the evening dancing with me."
Ever enterprising and supporting dance, here is an excerpt from 1966 Recital Program, Natalie School of Dance:
"Dallas Civic Ballet Society organized in 1957 to foster the development of young dancers and choreographers, the DCBS encourages all dance studios to participate. Any dancer from Dallas is eligible for its auditions. In the past 10 years the Civic Ballet movement has spread to every corner of the U.S. and there are now over 200 active groups. Join the DCBS and become active in this development of your city."
Natalie's love for civic ballet continues. She says emphatically, "Civic ballet is the doorway that feeds into a professional company." She speaks lovingly of the civic ballet days, holding auditions, encouraging boys from her studio to perform, remembering how many of the first dancers came from Edith James School and how much fun she and Mary Bywaters had.
Natalie and Mary Bywaters, having talked at length with Dorothy Alexander of Atlanta, Georgia, began the formation of the Southwest Region of National Association of Regional Ballet. The first Ballet Festival was held in 1964 in Austin, Texas with five companies participating. She conducted one of the early Craft of Choreography Conferences in Beaumont, Texas and served as President of the Southwest Region for many years. As historian for the Southwest Region, she was responsible for the history of the Region being donated to the Dallas Public Library in 2005.
When Dallas Civic Ballet became Dallas Ballet, a professional company under the direction of George Skibine, Natalie and Mary Bywaters had to decide what they would do next. They sought out other people including Toby McPheeters, Ann Etgen and Bill Atkinson to form Dallas Dance Council, a service organization incorporated in 1973.
Natalie and the late Nathalie Krassovska, former Prima Ballerina of Ballet Russe, were close friends. "We were the two Natalies," Mrs. Skelton states. People kept the two separate by calling Madame Krassovska "Natasha."
Natasha did not drive but loved to go shopping and to lunch. Over the decades she and Natalie would get together once or twice a month to do their favorite things.
In 1989, Dance Council honored Natalie with the Mary Bywaters Award for Lifetime Contribution to Dance. That same year Natalie sold her school to Sharon Bowdich, who kept the Natalie School of Dance name for five years.
In 1998, Dance Council established the Natalie Skelton Award for Artistic Achievement to recognize accomplishment and passion for dance. Recipients have included Mary Cochran, Christine Dunham Zembower, Thom Clower, General McArthur Hambrick, Carter Alexander, Griff Braun, Penny Peters Wilson, Willy Shives and David Storey.
With Dance Council in 2001, Natalie began funding a full tuition plus room and board scholarship to Glenda Brown Choreography Project in Kansas City. Recipients are student members of Dance Council who submit audition tapes along with GPA, a letter of recommendation and short essay.
In April 2007, Natalie represented the Southwest at Regional Dance America National Festival in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania as Guest of Honor along with Mary Margaret Holt of the University of Oklahoma. She was honored as Historian Emeritus for her inspiration, contribution and gift of time to the Southwest Region. RDA's theme, "See America Dancing' seem to reflect Natalie's life.
Dance Council is honoring Natalie on June 16 with a 90th Birthday Bash. In lieu of gifts, people are giving her a dance. There will be more than one dance that includes a tutu - Natalie's favorite costume.
Natalie's family includes her daughter, Tish and her husband, Ron Rhoads; granddaughter Vanessa and her husband Mike Bamback, great-granddaughter, Taylor Farmer and great-grandson Jake Douglas Bamback.
"What can dance do for a life?" Natalie was asked recently.
Without even a moment's pause, she answered firmly,
"Dance improves life. Dance prolongs life. Dance makes an interesting life."
Amanda Stone teaches and choreographs in and around Dallas, Texas.