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Nineveh Dance Studios, Handsworth

Jayell

Jayell

master brummie
Does anyone remember the Nineveh? It was at the junction of Soho Road/Nineveh Road/Grove Lane. Nearly everyone I used to know went there at least a couple of times a week. I learned to Bop there in 1954! It was the start of my love of dancing. Saturdays were special at the Nineveh.
 
Enid Goodwins

I and my brothers and sisters went to Enid Goodwins to learn how to ballroom dance wonder if it is still there..........Cat:)
 
judy39 said:
Does anyone remember the Nineveh? It was at the junction of Soho Road/Nineveh Road/Grove Lane. Nearly everyone I used to know went there at least a couple of times a week. I learned to Bop there in 1954! It was the start of my love of dancing. Saturdays were special at the Nineveh.
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That is where I learned to dance as well. We also went to a studio by New Street Station, I'm sure someone will remember the name of that one as well. Going on the 70 bus into Birmingham with those big net skirts was quite an experience, as we always went upstairs on the bus.:DanceBallerina4:

No comments BARmen .:) Mo
 
Dance Studios

Sakura : I think the dance studio you are referring to, near New Street Station, was Laura Dixon's. I learned to dance there in the 50's. It was in John Bright Street on the second floor of a corner building that overlooked the bottom of Hill Street and the side of the station. Underneath there was a gent's outfitters and a seedy coffee bar.
To get in, you went up some wooden stairs to a small landing where there was a tiny kiosk set into the wall. You paid your money and went into a small dance hall where you learned to dance at the public sessions or you could take private lessons. I seem to remember that there was a tall man who ran the public sessions - I think his name was Pete.
I never met Laura Dixon herself, but she did run a formation dance group that competed on the original BBC Come Dancing programs in the 50s and 60s.
 
Dance Studios - supplemental

By strange coincidence, after posting the previous entry, I found that there is a photograph of the building that contained Laura Dixon's Dance Studios posted in this forum under another current thread "Mens Shopping".
A Google for the name of the shop on the ground floor - "Chetwyns" - throws up a website that reports that the floor above (which was the dance studios) became a night club in the mid-60's.
 
That is right Day and I remember the stairs. We always looked so nice in those days. If we got dressed up like that we would stick out like a sore thumb these days.:)Mo
 
The photo that Phil put on just was taken by a friend of mine who was also a regular at the Nineveh. He became a teacher at Rookery Road School later on. I learned to dance there; having ballroom lessons once a week, and then going to the Saturday night dances where most of my friends went to, and where I learned to bop! Judy
 
Carolyn Walker said:
I learned to dance at the Ninivah dance studio,i was eleven when I first went with my friend and we are still dancing now!
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welcome to the forum carolyn...hope you enjoy it

thanks for the photo of the ninivah dance club phil i bet that will bring back memories for carolyn

lyn
 
Hi all

Apologies if this is in the wrong place to post (mods feel free to move).

I'm looking for information regarding a dance club on the Soho road during the 1950s and 1960s. I believe it was used for ball room dancing. Does anyone have any further information about this club or know anyone that used to go there? Particularly interested to hear from people who were ball room dancers in the 50s and 60s.

Kind regards

Nick
 
Astoness said:
welcome to the forum carolyn...hope you enjoy it

thanks for the photo of the ninivah dance club phil i bet that will bring back memories for carolyn

lyn
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Hi Lyn, a long shot maybe, my mother Jean Hill was a dance instructer at the Ninivah in the 50's as
well as going to Laura Dixon's studio in the City. mike
 
Jayell, thank you for response, appreciated. My Mother Jean, loved her ballroom dancing
and did quite well at it. I remember having a lovely collection of dresses for the occasions,
she did win a few medals, more importantly it was her social life outside her work, dancing
was the love of her life. As a child she took me a lot to Nineveh, it was local to where she
lived, and spent a lot of time in the City ballrooms, especially the Locarno. She did participate
in Formation dancing a lot. Thanks again, mike
 
It was Dorothy and George Last that ran the Ninevah Dance Studios. They were my aunt and uncle.
In the early to mid sixties I would go there every Saturday afternoon to help with the youngsters ballroom classes.
In the evening I would put on the records for the jive session. It was only a small venue but a nice atmosphere.
There were a lot of small dance venues around this time but the huge rise in popularity of larger venues having live groups saw to their demise.
The building had to be demolished in 1959 due to a vehicle running into Broadmeads Electrical shop below the studio.
They operated from other venues on a temporary basis until it was rebuilt.
 
Hi Jayell, Thank you for pic of the dance studios Nineveh. My Mother used to take me there when
i was young (in the 50-60's). She was a good dancer, and a dance teacher there, Jean Hill. I'm
afraid i was not so good at ballroom dancing at all. She took me there often, and the Locarno
in the City, and a few in the West End. Happy memories! mike
 
Any one remember the Lorna Ansell Smythe dance school in Handworth
her dancers were in the pantomimes at the Aston Hippodrome in the 1950,s
 
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