Victor Silvester

Mollie Webb remembers Victor Silvester OBE 1900 – 1978, a talented dancer and teacher who gave so much time and energy to the ISTD

One of my earliest memories, is trying to glide in thick school socks, over a thick woolly carpet, accompanied by a voice on the ‘wireless’ counting “slow, slow, quick, quick, slow” and a dreamy orchestra playing wonderful music for dancing, when I should really have been doing my homework.

Victor Silvester was born on February 25th 1900 in Wembley, second son of the Reverend J.W.P. Silvester, Victor learned to Ballroom dance and play the piano as the social accomplishments of well brought up young men of that period, but with no idea that it would eventually become his career, as dancing was not a proper occupation for a clergyman’s son.

Above: Victor Silvester and his Ballroom Orchestra

School was not a success. Victor attended two boarding schools and then a day school, where, when he was 14, the Great War broke out, and he ran away for the third time, this time, to join the forces. Needless to say, he was not accepted, but at a second attempt, he managed to get as far as the Western Front in France before being sent back. On the third attempt he was lucky, or unlucky as it turned out. He ended up as a stretcher-bearer for a British ambulance unit in Italy where he saw heavy fighting and suffered a leg wound. In spite of this, he carried on dealing with other wounded, and was awarded the Italian Bronze Medal for Valour.

On returning to civilian life his aunt, Eve Spencer, took him to a tea dance at Harrods, and his hidden talent as a dancer at last emerged. The formidable Belle Harding offered him a part-time job at £1 per week to partner the wealthy ladies who frequented her dances. As his interest in the ballroom technique increased, he formed a regular partnership with Phyllis Clarke, and together they won the World Professional Championship in 1922. Also in the same year, he married his actress fiancé Dorothy Newton.

He and Dolly opened a school in Bond Street, which became a great success, and together with Josephine Bradley, Muriel Simmons, Eve Tyngate-Smith and Cynthia Humphreys created and compiled the English Style of Ballroom Dancing.

There were, at the time, many great dance bands, Henry Hall, Jack Hylton, Harry Roy, Ambrose, etc., but very few non-vocal recordings played at an acceptable, consistent tempo for use by dance teachers. So in 1935 Victor formed his own strict tempo Ballroom orchestra, and the rest is history.
The first broadcasts were in 1937 and over the years the orchestra undertook over 6,500 broadcasts for the BBC during the long-running World Service Request Programmes, BBC Dancing Club, BBC Radio 2 Ballroom, and the BBC Television Dancing Club, which ran for 17 years. The programme made ballroom dancing seem a natural, easy form of recreation, possible for everyone to enjoy. In 1977 the BBC presented him with a ‘Gold Microphone’ to mark 40 consecutive years of broadcasting.

During a lifetime’s association with the ISTD, he became an outstanding Chairman of the Council from 1945 – 1958; President from 1958 – 1978; given one of the first Carl Alan Awards in 1954 for outstanding services to dancing; given the Imperial Award in 1958, and awarded the OBE in 1961.

Indeed the ISTD owes him a great deal. He was a man of simple tastes, gentle in manner and shy about public speaking, although tough and firm in meetings when necessary he was congenial and sincere, a family man and a gentleman, and it must have been these qualities, which came over on both radio and television which encouraged people from all over the world to write to him for their record requests.
Mollie Webb, FISTD ARAD ISTD Libarian