Lyndon Wainwright

Metrology

After his education and upbringing in Scarborough, Wainwright joined the NPL, the largest applied physics laboratory in the UK, in 1939. There he trained and worked as an engineering metrologist (metrology: the science of precision measurement). From September 1939, this facility worked mainly in support of the war effort, and so employment there was to some extent a reserved occupation: key employees were not called up for military service if the employer made appropriate application to the War Office. In addition to their work, staff members were expected to join the NPL Fire Brigade as part-timers or the ARP (air-raid warning and fire watch). Later in life, when his active career as a dancer was over, Lyndon returned to metrology, working at the National Engineering Laboratory in East Kilbride, Scotland for four years, and then for seven years was Head of Quality Control and Metrology at PIRA, the Research Association for the Printing, Packaging and Paper Making Industries (formerly PATRA, the Printing Industry Research Association) in Leatherhead, Surrey. In this capacity he lectured in the UK and abroad, and sat on committees of the International Association of Research Organizations in the Printing Industries. Lyndon was Chairman of the English Metrology Association from 1967 to 1972.

Career in dance

Wainwright met his first wife, Felicia Heslop (Newcastle-upon-Tyne, 14 April 1920 – September 1993), in 1940, and they soon started to train as a ballroom dance couple. They married in 1943, the year they first gave a dance exhibition for payment. After taking coaching from Monsieur Pierre, they started to compete as a professional couple. In 1948 they won the Premier Prix in a World's Professional Eight Dance Ballroom championship, staged in Paris. Then they specialised in the Latin dances and helped to introduce these dance forms to the British public. The partnership was billed as Lyndon & Felicia for their dance exhibitions, which were given in clubs, ballrooms, restaurants, celebrations and on television. On BBC tv, they appeared in shows such as Casa de Salta with the Edmundo Ros Orchestra, and Victor Silvester's BBC Dancing Club, dancing rumba, samba, paso doble and mambo. Between 1950 and 1960, the pair were probably the leading exhibition dancers of Latin American style in England. At their peak, they were presenting over 400 shows a year, often several times at different venues on a Sunday, and they also ran dance studios in Kingston, Ewell and Purley in Greater London. They were engaged to perform every alternate Dancers' Night for a year at the Hammersmith Palais.

Reviews of the partnership

“The highlights of their career are their appearances as demonstrators at the first ever World Congress of Teachers of Dancing organised by the Official Board of Ballroom Dancing, their several appearances on television with Edmundo Ros and Victor Silvester, and their demonstrations in Switzerland, Holland, Éire, Ulster and Denmark…“Lyndon and Felicia are now well on their way to their two thousandth demonstration… Within Great Britain they have travelled over 100,000 miles to give demonstrations… It is estimated that nearly one million people have seen these demonstrations personally, apart from those who have seen them on the television screen.” “Together they broke box office records all over the country, in an era when England was producing the most beautiful dancers in the world.” Kenneth Lee.“If ever a list is produced of the six best show business [acts] from the world of ballroom dancing in the past 50 years, it would not be complete without [them]." Walter Laird."They must have been one of the top ranking and highest paid duos of that and many other eras." Bob More."In the early 50s Lyndon & Felicia were well known for their wonderful cabaret – they didn't follow the normal trend – they studied all types of Latin American rhythms. Some that they danced, such as Blues, Mambo and the Mexican Jarabe, are quite new to many people today, but Lyndon and Felicia studied them, and presented every time a cabaret with a difference." Peggy Spencer.

Later dance work

Many years later, the BBC invited Lyndon to take part in a television documentary Last Man at the Palais dealing with the history of the Hammersmith Palais. The Palais had opened in 1919 as a dance hall and entertainment venue, and finally closed in 2007. With a fellow professional, Lyndon danced a waltz, which was the last dance shown on the televised program, first screened on BBC Four on Christmas Eve 2007.

After his dance partnership and marriage ended in 1960, Wainwright devoted himself to teaching, writing and the administrative side of the dance world. He has been Executive Councillor, Hon. Treasurer, and Company Secretary of the International Dance Teachers Association (IDTA). He has served as a delegate to the British Dance Council and as founder and Hon. Secretary of its Teachers' Committee, and on the Council for Dance Education and Training, and the Central Council of Physical Recreation. He is an acknowledged expert in the Performing and Phonographic Rights involved in playing music in public. For over 50 years he has contributed articles to dance magazines such as Dance Teacher (now Dance International), Ballroom Dancing Times (now Dance Today), and Dance Expression. Wainwright has also written articles for the Daily Mirror.

The dance profession has honoured Lyndon for his services to dance. In 1996 and 1999 he received the Carl Alan Award, in 1998 the Classique de Danse, in 2000 the President's Award of the Ballroom Dancers' Federation, and in 2005 the Distinguished Service Award of the IDTA.

Membership of dance organisations

Wainwright is or has been a member of these dance organisations:

Member, Academie des Maitres de Danse de Paris.

Fellow, Executive Councillor, Hon. Treasurer and Examiner (Ballroom and Latin-American branch), International Dancing Masters’ Association (IDMA).

Member, Midland Association of Teachers of Dancing (Latin American branch).

Member, Scottish Dance Teachers’ Alliance.

Member, Imperial Society of Teachers of Dancing (Ballroom branch).

Member and Examiner, Ballroom and Latin branches. Executive Councillor, Hon. Treasurer, and Company Secretary of the International Dance Teachers Association (IDTA).

Vice-President of La Sociedad Internacional de Profesores en Baile en España. [Danscene 21 September 1989]

Books

Lyndon & Felicia: Ballroom dances of the Continent and Latin America. [1949]. This book included the rumba, the samba, the paso doble, the blues, the Viennese waltz, the jive, the conga and the tango: an exceptionally wide range of dances.

First steps to ballroom dancing. Lyric books, London 1993.

The story of British popular dance. IDTA 1997.

The dance teacher’s handbook. British Dance Council. 2001. Advice on what you need to consider before you open your first dance school; the general process of teaching; and the business aspects of running a school.

Strictly dancing ballroom. ABC, Sydney 2005.

Let’s dance: the essential guide to ballroom for amateur dancers. HarperCollins, London 2005. This, a best seller, has been translated into five other languages.

Latin dancing (Need to know series). HarperCollins, London 2006.

Ballroom dancing (Need to know series). HarperCollins, London 2007.

Blowin' in the wind: the life of an innocent. IDTA 2012. Autobiography of Lyndon Wainwright.

Engineering papers

Munday F.D. and Wainwright L. 1965. The story of S.I. units and their use in the paper and board industry. Paper Technology, 11, 39–46.

Wainwright L. 1966. The equipment and services of the PATRA metrology section. The Printing, Packaging and Allied Trades Association. Engineering Report #5, 17pp.

Wainwright L. 1967. An introduction to metrication for printers. The London Printer 2, 74–77.

Wainwright L. 1968. Changes to metric measures. The Penrose Annual 61, 139–149.

Wainwright L. 1969. For the technologist. Lithoprinter April, 29–31.

Wainwright L. 1969. Going metric: why the SI system will make things simpler, PIRA News #12, January.

Wainwright L. 1971. Measurement of mechanical transmission errors in lithographic processes. PIRA/IARIGAI International Conference on Applied Lithographic Technology 1970. Chapter 19, 17pp.

Ballroom Dancing Times & Dance Today

1956. Recent recordings. BDT vol 1 November p891960. Televiewing. BDT 5 November p761961. The Juniors take their turn. BDT 5 May p4161963. Your first competition. BDT 6 June p4661963. Heel turn. BDT 7 October p271963. Nerves! BDT 7 November p691963. Footwork. BDT 7 December p1401964. Leg action. BDT 7 January p1941964. Smile, please! BDT 7 February p2601964. Knees. BDT 7 March p3061964. Tackling the Tango. BDT 7 April p3661964. Tango atmosphere. BDT 7 May p4151964. Steps outside. BDT 7 July p5371964. A word for the Ladies. BDT 7 August p6041965. Your first competition. BDT 8, September p6501965. The new competitor? BDT 9 July p5241966. A question of judgement. BDT 10 January p1831966. Calculating the marks. BDT 10 February p2181966. What would Market Research find? BDT 10 July 5021966. Competitions. BDT 10 September 6461966. The IDMA – DTA merger. BDT 11 11 October1967. Dancing and social change. BDT 11 January p1681967. The influence of Professionals. BDT 11 February p1851967. Here to stay. BDT 11 March1981. Lyndon on Latin. BDT 29, February1986. It’s up to You. Dance Today 29 January p1461986. Wasted opportunity. Dance Today 29 February p1851986. Landmarks of memory. Dance Today 29 April p261986. Music and Dance. Dance Today 29 June p3491992. Myself when young. Dance Today 36 October p281993. Liars, damn liars, and media critics. Dance Today 37 November

The Dance Teacher

1967. Prudent housekeeping. DT vol 16 November p91969. The case for a House Style. DT 18 February p291970. All this and ulcers too. DT 19 February p301970. IDTA Congress 1970. DT 19 September p1681970. Eight fingers two thumbs. DT 19 October p1951970. The Association charges. DT 19 November p2181970. Day to day transactions. DT 19 December p2441971. Decimal Quiz. DT 20 February p311980. The Gulbenkian Report. DT 30 November1981. Latin or Disco. DT 30 January1982. Beatrice Bunny’s Tale. DT 31 January (under non-de-plume Aesop Minimus)1989. Youth dancing. DT 38 February p471990. Community Charge. DT 39 May p1391990. Mystina. DT 39 November p3411991. Ballroom Teachers Committee I. DT 40 May p1541991. Ballroom Teachers Committee II. DT 40 June p1921991. Vocational qualifications. DT 40 December p3781992. Teachers’ Competition. DT 41 May 1671992. Ballroom Teachers Committee. DT 41 September p291993. NVQs: Where are they now? DT 42 May p1771993. Writing an article. DT 42 August p2531994. Dance goes around & around. DT 43 March p971994. Dance Schools. DT 43 April p1551994. Education can be fun. DT 43 May p1911994. Straws in the wind. DT 43 June p2571994. The Superdance League. DT 43 November p4611995. NVQs The story continues DT 44 July p3211995. Eulogy to Guy Howard DT 44 August p3681996. The Taxman Cometh DT 45 May p2291996. National Insurance contributions DT 45 June p2771998. Aspects of teaching dance DT 47 March p811999. Children in the School DT 48 January p91999. Burn the floor DT 48 July p2732000. Reaching the public DT 49 December p5172001. The nature of dance DT 50 March p952001. Chided DT 50 October p429

Other articles

1981. Scarborough upbringing. The Dalesman, October p542

2002. The Youthscan Project: teenage attitudes to, and involvement in, dance.