The following text is taken from the Royal Academy of Dance website with their permission. We thank the RAD for allowing us to reproduce this obituary of Eli Gray-Smith.

The RAD was very sad to hear that the highly respected and much-loved RAD dance accompanist, Eli Gray-Smith, passed away on Sunday 7 April.

Born in Dunedin in 1927, Eli lived a long life full of rich experiences. He began playing for RAD dance classes at the age of 14 for well-known dance teacher Lily Stevens and credits her with teaching him the phrasing of dances, the flow of movement and the vocabulary of steps. This gave Eli a sense of dance that made him a very skillful and much sought after accompanist. As Eli said when he retired in 1996, that experience “started a love-affair which has lasted all my life, not only with ballet but dance movement in general…to this day, I would rather play for an exciting class than for a performance.”

He studied music at the Royal Toronto Conservatory as well as playing for the National Ballet School and other RAD schools in Toronto. From there he went to New York and played for the famed choreographer George Balanchine at a time when Balanchine was working with Stravinsky on Agon and “every week this great composer of the century came in to watch class and rehearsal”. Eli also became the pianist for the San Francisco Ballet and accompanied Martha Graham’s pre-classical dance classes for drama students.

Eli played for the RAD in London for many years later becoming the RAD’s official exam accompanist for Canada, New Zealand, Australia and South Africa – a role he enjoyed for 23 years. Deirdre Tarrant, RAD Registered Teacher and former RAD examiner recalls: “Touring on examination sessions was always fun with Eli as a companion. This was an era very fondly remembered and appreciated by the examiners of the time who loved his music, magic and wit. Eli was a unique part of the RAD in New Zealand for us”.

Returning to settle in NZ, Eli continued to accompany dance classes, RAD exams, and the RAD Summer School, for which he organised both classes and social life for the team of pianists until his retirement in 1996. After that, he continued to teach a select group of students and to play on Saturday mornings for dance teacher Shone Dunlop-MacTavish.
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In recognition of his significant and distinctive contribution to dance both within the RAD and for the wider dance community, Eli was presented with the RAD’s prestigious President’s Award in 1994. The RAD is indebted to Eli for his many years of excellent and dedicated piano accompaniment and for the skill, knowledge and flair he brought to the role. Many RAD members will remember him fondly and our deepest sympathies go to his family and friends.

Following our 2024 AGM NDANZ are happy to reintroduce Keith as our Chair. For Keith's annual report please see previous News post.

Keith McEwing
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Although originally a music scholar, Keith McEwing has always had an interest in dance. Taking adult beginner ballet classes after completing a Bachelor of Music, this led to contemporary dance performance, studying Baroque dance, and learning American style Latin and Ballroom dancing, which he now runs his own studio teaching. Interested in movement and its analysis generally, he also practises and teaches Taijiquan and has a keen interest in movement notation systems, working regularly with Beauchamp-Feuillet, and Kinetography Laban notation systems.

NATIONAL DANCE ARCHIVE OF NEW ZEALAND
NGA KAITIAKI TAONGA KANIKANI O AOTEAROA
 
Report from the Chair
20 June 2024
 
Earlier this year I had the opportunity to give a webinar for the Archives and Records Association of New Zealand (ARANZ) on the importance of archiving dance. The response I got from several attendees, many who hadn’t thought much past a dance archive as being lots of video recordings, brought home to me the importance of the National Dance Archive and the advocacy role that we play.
 
As trustees, we are thinking regularly about both the importance of archiving and the variety of material a dance archive could hold, so it is always good to be reminded of how much advocacy is still to be done. Preparing for the webinar was also an opportunity for me to look through the NDA’s own records in the Turnbull Library, and those of the New Zealand Dance Federation, under which the NDA was first formed, to see the significant work that has been done since the NDA was formed in 1982.
 
Trustees and Meetings
Our trustees have remained constant for another year: Geordan Wilcox in Auckland, Philippa Pidgeon in Christchurch, and the rest of the trustees based in Wellington – Peter Boyes, Kim Crawford, Debra Harris, Katherine Lancaster, Brigitte Knight, Keith McEwing and Sue Nicholls. Change is in the air, however, with Geordan stepping down. Another significant departure is our founding treasurer Carolyn McKeefry has also decided to step down. We will miss you both.
 
With the exception of our December meeting, all of our meetings have been by Zoom; a biproduct of those COVID lockdown days. This has on the whole, worked well and given us some extra flexibility regarding our meeting attendance. For December we had a hybrid meeting. Sue hosted the meeting at her place, with Geordan joining via Zoom. After the meeting, for those attending in person, we had a shared meal. Thank you to Sue, again, for your hospitality.
 
Oral Histories Subcommittee
Three people for our next oral history project have been selected, which will illustrate the diversity of dance in New Zealand. Much of this project will be paid for from our fundraising efforts of the last two years’ film nights and donations that ensued. Preliminary consultation with Turnbull Library, with regards to whether they would accept this project as a donation on completion, has held up the process of starting the project, however. 
 
Technology Subcommittee 
Again, we thank Brigitte for her work with the website and the Facebook page. Some posts have been made throughout the year on both website and Facebook and a moderate following has resulted. Further discussions have been had about using both platforms more, so watch these spaces!
 
Archiving Resources Subcommittee
With promoting the necessity to archive dance records this subcommittee gives opportunity to practise what we preach! Some work has been done at looking at our paper files and deciding what needs to be kept. An archiving plan has been discussed along with an organised filing structure. Another project to work on in the coming year.
 
Sponsorship and Funding Subcommittee
With the success of 2022’s film fund raiser we decided to have another in October 2023. We screened the French movie En Corps and approached Alliance Française, and the French Ambassador to New Zealand for their support and for spreading the word of this event. With a near capacity audience of 56 people attending, we raised $504.  
 
NDA also received a donation for $1,000 from 3+ Consulting. As well, we continue to sell cards through the National Library shop, which keeps a small but steady amount coming into our bank account.
 
The Year Ahead
I have already mentioned the oral history project that is underway. I have also talked about ideas for using the social media more and organising our own archives. It will be great to keep a momentum on all of these things into the next twelve months.
 
Conclusion
I cannot overstress my sincere thanks to all the trustees for the time you have volunteered in serving on the NDA committee this past twelve months. A special thank you to Geordan for your contribution to the committee over the past four years, and we wish you the best going forward. Thank you also to Sue in the secretarial role. Always prompt with getting the minutes to me.
 
An extra big thank you to our Treasurer, Carolyn McKeefry, this being the last time we will be able to do so formally with you stepping down. Not only our thanks for continuing to manage our accounts throughout the past year and all the years prior, making sure we keep our balance above $5,000 to avoid bank fees, but more so, thank you for your investment expertise management with our funds raised. Thank you also for the general support you have given to the committee and the archiving cause.
 
Last year I closed my report with a whakatauki. This year I would like to repeat it as for me it sums up our purpose so well. Kia whakatōmuri te haere whakamua; I walk backwards into the future with my eyes fixed on my past. Thank you all.
 
 
 
Keith McEwing
Chair
18 June 2024