CHARTERS PART one
1945-1969 page 14

The responsibility was huge and during the late 1960s we see it begin to take its toll. The student roll had inexorably risen from about 60 to 180, especially when grant support was introduced. The school was beginning 'to creak' under the strain (we shall describe the remedy in the next chapter, Part Two) and so was Noreen; she was tired and needed respite. She always cared deeply, and had an intimate knowledge and understanding of each student, but now it was difficult even to remember a name. With Victor, she made a private approach to London Festival Ballet with the option to either take over, or take an interest in the school. She knew Anton Dolin, Alicia Markova and John Gilpin, the linchpins of the company under its owner, Julian Braunsweg, but the timing was wrong. The company was in financial crisis and a change of ownership and management was in process. Therefore, nothing came of the talks.

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Mary Clarke, editor of the Dancing Times, wrote in 1984, "Both Noreen Bush and Marjorie Davies, whom I was privileged to count as friends, stressed the importance of performance awareness to their students and many were the end of year stagings which I enjoyed at both the East Grinstead and Romford schools. They made imaginative use of studio facilities but by 1959 Noreen Bush had decided that a private theatre should be built to serve the needs of the school.....By 1963 the Adeline Genée Trust was formed and took over control of the entire project. The site was a gift from Bush Davies Schools and the theatre was to be named for Dame Adeline Genée who, with Dame Ninette de Valois, was one of the greatest influences upon Miss Bush's career as a teacher of classical ballet."

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