MARY DUCHESNE. Sydney City Eisteddfod.

Mary Duchesne (AKA Mary-Frances Doak)
With l5,662 entrants performing in 374 events,
the Victory Eisteddfod had already set a new
world record when it opened on October 21 1946.
Presented by a staff of nine and over a thousand
volunteers, the competition ran for a fortnight with
simultaneous performances in twenty-two halls
across the city.
Venues included Sydney Town Hall, the State Conservatorium, History House, the Royal Empire
Society Hall and the New Theatre. Every day brought exciting new
talent to the platform, but the war gap in training, performance and
dressing was occasionally evident.
Yet, while many entrants in the dancing section wore crepe paper
costumes, adjudicator Christobel Desmazures was adamant that the standard of ballet had not fallen. She had nothing but praise for
dancers and among those she particularly admired was a 14-year-old
Cowra-born schoolgirl called Mary Frances Doak. Despite her lack of
city training, Mary finished the competition with a first, two seconds
and a third. The next year, Mary won a swag of gold medals and by
1950, she had changed her name to Duchesne and was dancing with
Melbourne-based National Theatre Ballet. She quickly graduated to
solo parts and, on many occasions, shared the leading role in the
full-length Swan Lake with blossoming ballerina Marilyn Burr. In 1952,
Mary joined the Borovansky Ballet, and the following year, departed
for London. Over the next seven years, she danced with Ballet
Rambert, the Walter Gore Ballet, Ballet Comique and as Principal
with the London Festival Ballet.
On returning to Australia in 1960, she rejoined the Borovansky
Company for its final season and performed on television. She
enjoyed this diversion, but when The Australian Ballet formed in
1962, she joined as a senior soloist.
In the years that followed, Mary explored every facet of her art as
a teacher, choreographer, director and adjudicator. The career of a
dancer is usually short, but always in demand as a performer, Mary
developed so gracefully as a mature artist that during the 1980’s,
choreographers Graeme Murphy and Barry Moreland both created
works on her for the Sydney Dance Company. In latter years, Mary
continued guesting with The Australian and Western Australian Ballet
Companies; illuminating every role she played with her gracious
presence. She was without doubt a great lady of Australian ballet and
when she died in 1996, the dance world mourned.
Daily Mirror
, 28 October 1946,
Daily Telegraph,
22 & 29 October
1946;
Sydney Morning Herald
28 October, 1946 & Obituary,
25 March 1996;
Who’s Who of Australian Women
(North Ryde:
Methuen, 1982), p.158.