For forty years, the many hundreds of dance students, acrobats, dedicated mums and dads, little brothers and sisters, future Tivoli performers and those destined for global fame, were greeted—often several times a week—by a half-glass-paned door with large russet-coloured letters painted on the glass: ‘Alice Uren’s School of Stage Dancing’.
From 1921 to the early 1960s, Alice Uren’s School of Stage Dancing could be found in Melbourne’s Flinders Street on the first floor of the Empire Arcade (next to the Mutual Store). Accessed via two flights of narrow stairs or a small elevator, the dancing school was in a great location. Outside was the Degraves Street subway to access train travel, or alternatively, trams and buses were handy in Flinders, Elizabeth and Swanston Streets. An additional treat for students from the 1950s was a Darrell Lea confectionery store situated at the Arcade entrance.
Following the death of her fellow entertainer and husband Frank Uren in 1921, Alice Uren became regarded as one of the top dancing and acrobatics teachers in Melbourne. Her city-based dance-teacher contemporaries were May Downs, Olive Wallace, Ivy Emms and Jenny Brennan. Future stage and television star (the now late) Val Jellay started dancing lessons with Miss Uren in 1931, aged four, and in her autobiography Stagestruck, describes Alice as ‘a wonderful teacher for the stage.’
My recollections of Alice Uren’s dance studio commence in the early 1950s, having crossed Flinders Street from the Railway Building and Miss Dorothy Gladstone’s dance classes, to study with Miss Uren. The half-glass-paned door opened into a huge dance studio with a large mirror to the left on the wall and a piano and chair positioned nearby. An office was to the right, and wooden bench seats for mothers to watch classes lined the right-hand side wall, which ran either side of a door opening onto a balcony. Wooden barre rails ran along part of the left wall which was adorned with photos of star students, including Val Jellay and Toni Lamond. Across the back of the studio was a doorless change-room space with a concrete wash trough. Rubber acrobatic mats lay neatly stacked on the floor in one corner.
The Reddy/ Lamond Family, 1959. From left: Max Reddy, Helen Reddy, Stella Lamond, Tony Sheldon and Toni Lamond. Photograph by Chris Whitehorn.
Toni Lamond Collection, Australian Performing Arts Collection, Arts Centre Melbourne
Program showing details of Alice Uren’s Xmas Revels at Melbourne Town Hall, 3 December 1955. Item No.11 features Helen Reddy as soloist.
Sourced from Threadgold private collection
In the early 1950s, Toni Lamond was an Alice Uren legendary star pupil, and her sister Helen Reddy was a student. Miss Uren staged her splendid annual concerts at the Melbourne Town Hall accompanied by an orchestra, and Helen Reddy would sing solos. Helen’s future fame as a world-class performer was of course unknown then, but for this younger soloist (Cheryl McPhee) and other students of that era, it is rather awesome to have been included as a soloist in the same program as future global star Helen Reddy!
Miss Uren devoted several days a week over four decades to teaching her students singing, ballet, toe, tap and acrobatics in private lessons, a Friday night seniors’ class and the Saturday afternoon large group class, but rarely talked about her own successful performing history.
Records reveal she was born Alice Johnston in Balmain, New South Wales in 1899. A trained contortionist and juggler, Alice started her professional performing career at age fifteen after meeting her future husband, juggler Frank Uren.
Frank Uren
Photo courtesy of the Uren/Thomas family private collection
Frank Uren and Carl Bracken, c.1912
Photo courtesy of the Uren/Thomas family private collection.
Frank Uren was born David Francis Uren in 1894 in Victoria. Using the stage name ‘Frank Uren’, his first recorded professional engagement was in 1911 with Jones Moving Theatre. At 17 years old he was billed as ‘the London Juggler’ and after teaming up with strong man and wire walker, Carl Bracken, Frank toured Australia in small variety groups juggling clubs, six fiery torches, plates and balls.
The duo used different names, such as ‘Carl and Frank Brackens’ when performing a loop-the-loop turn with a bicycle, or as ‘The Urens’, when billed as ‘Australia’s Comedy Jugglers’.
Frank Uren in Bicycle Act, c.1912
Photo courtesy of the Uren/Thomas family private collection
Poster advertising ‘The Brackens’ (Carl and Frank) at the Theatre Royal. c.1912
Image courtesy of the Uren/Thomas family private collection
Poster advertising ‘Frank, Lank and Alice’ at the Empire Theatre. c.1915
Image courtesy of the Uren/Thomas family private collection
Frank and Carl split after a year and Frank went solo, described in 1913 as an ‘expert sensational juggler’ in his act with the Coles Vaudeville company at Her Majesty’s Theatre in Geelong, Victoria.
When World War One commenced in July 1914, many young male performers enlisted for service, creating vacancies and opportunities in Australia’s vaudeville circuit. Frank was most likely exempted from war service due to ill health and was soon performing in another duo—this time with fifteen-year-old contortionist Alice Johnston. Their variety act ‘Frank and Alice’ was first performed In October 1914 between movie screenings in Townsville, Queensland. Leeann Richards writes that life on Australia’s vaudeville circuit was difficult, with poor quality food, lack of, or underpaid wages, basic accommodation and uncomfortable, constant travelling. However, as Richards points out, it must have been an exciting adventure for two young performers such as Frank, now 20, and Alice. Although Frank and Alice were inexperienced and open to exploitation, a duo was less vulnerable than a solo performer when dealing with ‘unscrupulous employers’.
In 1915, Frank and Alice invited ‘droll and witty’ comedian William Thompson to join them, and they became ‘Frank, Lank and Alice’, a combined juggling, contortionist and comedy trio. The act is said to have drawn praise from critics for their ‘extraordinary skills and original routines’ (ozvta.com/practitioners-f/). ‘Frank, Lank and Alice’ signed with the Fullers and began touring to the firm’s Australian and New Zealand circuits.
Comedy, juggling and contortion act Frank, Lank and Alice, 1916
Image source: Australian Variety, 1 March 1916, front cover
Frank Uren and Alice Johnston married in February 1916 in Balmain, New South Wales. A week after the wedding, the trio’s photo was taken for the front page of Australian Variety. The accompanying article described them as ‘youthful and attentive to their work’ and the ‘excellence’ of their act being ‘fit to take a prominent place on any bill.’
Two weeks before the opening of the musical Bunyip, Alice gave birth to Virginia F. (‘Wattle Blossom’) Uren (fondly known as ‘the Bunyip baby’) in the Sydney suburb of Petersham. The Bunyip musical pantomime (subtitled The Enchantment of Fairy Princess Wattle Blossom) written by Ella Palzier Campbell (aka Ella Airlie) in 1908, opened at the Grand Opera House, Sydney, on 22 December,1916.
Bunyip musical pantomime sheet music. c.1916
Image courtesy of Leeann Richards
Alice Uren and daughter Virginia. c.1922
Photo courtesy of the Uren/Thomas family private collection
‘Frank, Lank and Alice’ don’t appear to have been part of the Sydney or Melbourne Bunyip seasons, but joined the cast at Adelaide’s Majestic Theatre, opening on 2 June 1917. With baby Virginia, they toured with the pantomime mostly at Christmas and Easter, and Virginia also performed in a pantomime when older.
Roy Rene writes about performing with Alice in The Bunyip in his book Mo’s Memoirs: ‘One of the things that I always did in The Bunyip was to frighten the life out of Alice Uren. I used to get hold of her daughter … and then Stiffy and I would put the baby in the pushcart with a lot of vegetables where the audience could not see it and go on for our act. Alice used to think her baby had been kidnapped. She did not really mind the practical jokes we played, because I would always mind the baby for her if she wanted some help. It was such a lovely show that we all helped each other … ‘.
Until the end of World War One, ‘Frank, Lank and Alice’ mixed pantomime performances with working individually for other leading firms such as Harry Clay, Dix-Baker and Birch and Carroll. In 1920, they briefly toured New Zealand and were warmly received. ‘Frank, Lank and Alice’ enjoyed much success, with Frank described as ‘the only juggler in Australia juggling three clubs in one hand’. Lank was also praised by critics for his Charlie Chaplin impression during the act, while in December, in Broken Hill, Alice also received plaudits from the local paper, which noted that ‘Miss Alice contributed some graceful and clever contortionist work’.
In late 1920 they returned to Australia, performing in Rockhampton, Queensland. Frank became ill with tuberculosis, and this would be one of their final performances. In 1921, Alice, Virginia and Frank were living with his family at their hotel, the Great Western, near Melbourne. In October, Frank went to see his cousin Tommy in a prize fight, went ‘motoring’ the next day, returned home and unexpectedly died in his sleep at 27 years old. Eulogised as a ‘clean-living husband who was a credit to the vaudeville profession’, Frank Uren was also described as ‘Australia’s greatest club juggler’.
Leeann Richards writes that ‘Frank, Lank and Alice’ may not have become international superstars, ‘But they were part of the backbone of Australian vaudeville during the First World War, when many performers were absent. As such, their short career played a significant role in ensuring the visibility of juggling during a difficult time for vaudeville in Australia.’
The large Uren family was supportive to Alice and her daughter, as were Fullers. She was employed as a ballet mistress with the vaudeville chain and from that experience created the dancing school in Melbourne, which would have a long and distinguished history. Alice married her second husband Sydney Burgess in 1924, but maintained her professional name, Alice Uren.
After establishing her dancing and acrobatic school in Melbourne in 1921, Alice Uren quickly earned a fine reputation. Everyone’s magazine incorporating Australian Variety and Show World writes favourably of a student performance on 20 December 1922:
‘Alice Uren’s cleverly trained children performers are one of the added attractions at the Lyric Theatre, St Kilda, where their unique speciality proves very popular.’
The Tivoli Theatre advertisement for Celebrity Vaudeville, January 1927. ‘The Eight Urens’ are described as ‘Melbourne’s Cleverest Children’.
Image courtesy of the Uren/Thomas family private collection
Acrobatics were the ‘speciality’ skill taught by Alice as well as ballet, toe, tap and singing, and she and her students were regularly praised in reviews in Victorian newspapers. One example is The Werribee Shire Banner, which refers to 5 November 1931 when ‘A fine programme was presented last Saturday night by Miss Alice Uren’s pupils and supporting artists at the Mechanics’ Hall, Williamstown in aid of the Altona boating tragedy appeal. Miss Uren is to be congratulated on the fine performance of her many talented pupils … ’. The paper also mentions an acrobatic troupe called ‘The Tivoli Juveniles’.
This interview dated 7 April 1933 was included in the Commonwealth Society of Teachers of Dancing 50th Anniversary of Dance, 1933-1983
Image courtesy of the Uren/Thomas family private collection
In an interview dated 7 April 1933, Miss Uren speaks of loving her dance teaching work and of creating ‘a great harmony among my children’. She comments that her school has been represented in every Melbourne theatre and shares her philosophy: ‘You must love them to get the best that’s in them, to scare them is not right, you must have discipline.’ Alice also speaks of her daughter Virginia about to start a course in chemistry and not being interested in dance teaching.
The Bijou Theatre at 225 Bourke Street, Melbourne, by now owned by Sir Benjamin Fuller, operated as a high-quality vaudeville venue. Alice presented her annual student performances from this venue until its closure in 1934. As it turned out, the last attraction at The Bijou Theatre before its closure on 13 January 1934, was produced by Alice Uren—Mickey the Mouse Revue—which opened on 23 December 1933 and performed by ‘250 clever kiddies’. The popularity of this show saw it extend beyond the originally planned one-week season. Press advertisements dated 5 January 1934 claimed that 9,423 children had seen the show.
In March 1934, A.R. Harwood of Centenary Films launched a stage show at the Palace Theatre, and the Everyones publication praised ballet mistress Alice Uren for the ‘graceful ballets’.
Miss Alice Uren with students. c.1930s
Photo courtesy of the Uren/Thomas family private photo collection
Alice Uren’s students continued entertaining during World War Two, including being advertised as ‘Alice Uren’s ballet of beautiful girls’ in a two-and-a-half-hour midnight revue titled ‘New Year’s Eve Revels’ in 1943. An article headed ‘People Behind the Shows’ in the ABC Weekly dated 14 July 1945 reads: 'Alice Uren, the Melbourne ballet mistress who arranges the ballets for the 3XY live-artist shows Radio Revels and Salute to the Allied Services, now proudly boasts of having provided 1300 ballet items for these shows (presented at the Princess Theatre) in the last two years.’
Virginia Uren was married in 1939 in a society wedding to Mr Colin Campbell-Thomas. She worked as a presenter on Melbourne radio station 3AW.
The Times 26 April–2 May 1941. Virgie Uren at right was organiser of the 3AW Sports Ball, with Fred and Mrs Tupper and Terry and Mrs Dear.
Article courtesy of the Uren/Thomas family private collection
Virgie Uren on behalf of the 3AW Women’s Association presents an ambulance donated to the A.I.F. (at left) and at right, presents tea-towels for the A.I.F. Armoured Division as the result of a 3AW two-day appeal. c.1940s
Scrapbook articles courtesy of Uren/Thomas family
In early December 1949 in a gala premiere show at the Northcote Plaza Theatre celebrating the transition from ‘picture-house’ to ‘live-stage’ performance venue, Alice Uren again received a positive review from The Age: ‘An energetically graceful ballet testified to the direction of the ballet mistress Alice Uren.’
As a young student, Val Jellay had two private lessons weekly in the 1930s and attended the Saturday class. She writes of Alice Uren teaching tapping as ‘combination rhythms’ which helped Val understand ‘rounded’ beats that flow. ‘She taught style, and did all her own “bearing” when teaching acrobats’, says Val.
Miss Uren hired a pianist for the Saturday afternoon classes, but for private lessons accompanied students herself, quickly adapting to any musical key to suit vocal ranges. Val Jellay describes Miss Uren as ‘a great sight-reader who would watch in the mirror, talk, sing, bang her feet, wave her arms and play all at the same time’. Val also recalls the music publishers Albert and Chappell sending Miss Uren copies of their latest publications, and what fun it was to go through the new songs.
Alice Uren’s best acrobatic performance troupe was called ‘The Melbourne Marvels’, which Val was proud to eventually join. Val also joined young Kevin Swain to become a miniature Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers dancing act, advertised for engagements as the ‘Tip Top Tappers’. The photo below was displayed on the dance studio wall above the clock.
The Tip-Top Tappers (Val Jellay and Kevin Swain)
From Stagestruck by Val Jellay, p.14. Image reproduced with permission.
Val Jellay and Kevin Swain reunite at the 2006 Alice Uren past students’ reunion
From The Melbourne Observer 26 April 2006. Image courtesy of Ash Long, Editor, Melbourne Observer.
In April 2006, a reunion lunch for 63 past Alice Uren students and Uren family members was organised at the Tivoli Theatre Restaurant, Malvern. Val Jellay and Kevin Swain caught up after 70 years and their photo appeared on the front page of the Melbourne Observer on 26 April 2006.
Over the years, many of Miss Uren’s students performed at the Tivoli Theatre. A wooden rostrum with steps was used by students in classes to encourage graceful poise and good posture.
Today, former students still speak very highly of Miss Uren. Mezzo soprano Toni Adelman remains grateful to Alice Uren for discovering her singing voice. Toni remembers attending her first Saturday afternoon class in the late 1950s and lining up in rows with other students for ‘singing’. Miss Uren would walk the rows, listening, and on this occasion when returning to the front, she called 11-year-old Toni out to sing the song by herself. Toni remembers her face turning red but started to sing and at the end everyone clapped. Toni says, ‘I felt so good—I loved to sing.’ This would be the start of a wonderful journey for Toni—first in the television show Swallow’s Juniors, studying classical music at the Melba Conservatorium with Joan Arnold, Margaret Schofield and Erich Vietheer; then Geoffrey Parsons in England. ‘My singing took my husband, son Craig and me to England’, says Toni. ‘Thanks to Miss Uren, my life has been full of some great years of singing.’ Toni has always remembered Miss Uren’s advice to ‘Never stop if something goes wrong … keep smiling and no one will know.’
Lesley Harrison (now Phillips) is also grateful to Miss Uren for her career in TV, cabaret and theatre, which started when almost seventeen. Lesley attributes this to the grounding of her younger years. She had commenced dancing at age nine and would attend three classes per week—a private lesson on Wednesday night, the seniors’ class on Friday night (which Lesley credits for her training for cabaret shows), and the Saturday afternoon class. Lesley also remembers Miss Uren walking along the rows of students singing in class and being picked one day to sing. From then on, Lesley sang solos in concert items with the dancers behind her. Lesley believes Miss Uren’s method of amalgamating all students in the one group class on Saturday afternoons was educational and inspirational, particularly for younger students.
Kay Neenan was a leading acrobatic student and performer in the 1950s and highly praises Miss Uren’s dedication to train her acrobatic troupe after the three-hour Saturday afternoon dancing and singing class had finished. The acrobats’ item was always a major highlight of Miss Uren’s annual shows at the Melbourne Town Hall. Kay’s niece Lyn Honeyman was three years old when following her older Aunty Kay to take lessons. Lyn recalls singing ‘The Wedding of the Painted Doll’ in a Melbourne Town Hall show and having make-up applied to her face while being sat up on a table in the dressing-room.
Alice Uren (centre) backstage with students at a performance, c.1958. Back row from left: Judith Cuthbert, Annette Potts, Miss Alice Uren, Lesley Harrison, Cheryl McPhee, dancer unknown. Front row: Kay Neenan, dancer unknown.
Photograph courtesy of Kay (Neenan) Myers
In 1955, the Empire Arcade was purchased by the adjacent Mutual Store and in forthcoming years underwent a range of modifications. This included Alice Uren’s dance studio, so Miss Uren relocated her classes to a downstairs space in the Empire Arcade until it became flooded and unavailable. By now, Miss Uren was also teaching dance classes in Altona, so in the early 1960s, the Alice Uren School of Stage Dancing began operating full-time in Altona.
Program for Alice Uren’s Red, White & Blue Revue, Melbourne Town Hall, 11 March 1954
Sourced from Threadgold private collection
Program for Alice Uren’s Xmas Revels, Melbourne Town Hall, 3 December 1955
Sourced from Threadgold private collection
Program for Alice Uren’s Xmas Revue, Methodist Hall, Altona, 14 December 1962
Sourced from Threadgold private collection
On 1 May 1974, Miss Uren reunited with 40 students and their mothers at a surprise lunch event. The venue was Smacka’s Place, the jazz restaurant operated by entertainer Smacka Fitzgibbon in North Melbourne. It was a joyful event for those in attendance, especially for the guest-of-honour, Alice Uren.
A surprise reunion on 1 May 1974 for Alice Uren with 40 past students and their mothers at Smacka’s Place, North Melbourne. Miss Uren at centre is with Cheryl Threadgold (left). Other names are not known.
From The Sun, Thursday, 2 May 1974. p.16
Alice (Uren) Burgess passed away in Glen Iris on 31 December 1978, aged 79. Her ashes are located in the Rose Urn Garden at Fawkner Cemetery.
During her wonderful life, Miss Uren achieved splendid success in her performance career. She overcame adversity from losing her beloved first husband and fellow performer, Frank, by transitioning to become mentor, teacher and friend to many hundreds, probably thousands, of students. Every student benefitted not only from Alice Uren’s talents and theatrical professionalism, but also her fine personal ethics, discipline, philosophy and friendship.
Acknowledgement of this special performer and dance teacher’s contribution to Australian theatre is long overdue.
Miss Alice Uren, please take a bow.
Photo of Alice Uren c.1920s
Photo courtesy of the Uren/Thomas private collection
Postscript: It was incredibly lucky that Miss Uren’s family members were located just prior to publication of this story and have generously sourced and shared precious photos from their private collection. Thank you so much to the Uren/Thomas family.
Grateful Thanks
Toni Adelman
Marty Fields
Claudia Funder
Lesley (Harrison) Phillips
Lyn Honeyman
Ash Long, Editor Melbourne Observer
Rob Morrison
Kay (Neenan) Myers
Leeann Richards
The Uren/Thomas Family: David, Carol, Ashley and Penny
References
ABC Weekly, ‘People Behind the Shows’, Australian Broadcasting Commission, 14 July 1945, Vol.7, No.28, p.47, http://nla.gov.au/nla.obj-1335046818 (accessed 2 June 2025)
The Age (Melbourne), ‘Stage Variety at Northcote’, 3 December 1949, p.6,http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article189489012 (accessed 1 June 2025)
The Argus (Melbourne), ‘Acrobatics on Henley Lawns’, 26 June 1930, p.7, https://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/4095839# (accessed 1 June 2025)
The Argus (Melbourne), ‘Miss Alice Uren’s Pupils’, 11 December 1933, p.5, http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article11719577 (accessed 1 June 2025)
The Argus (Melbourne), ‘Mickey the Mouse Revue’, 1 January 1934, p.3, http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article11725602 (accessed 2 June 2025)
The Argus (Melbourne), ‘Gala Midnight Revue’ (New Year’s Eve Revels) advertisement, 28 December 1943, p.11, http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article11796744 (accessed 2 June 2025)
Clay Djubal, ‘Frank, Lank and Alice, Comedy, juggling and contortion act’, Australian Variety Theatre Archive, ‘Popular Culture Entertainment: 1850–1930’, 13 March 2011, ozvta.com/practitioners-f/ (accessed 26 May 2025)
Everyones, Incorporating Australian Variety and Show World, Vol.3, No.146, 20 December 1922, p.27, http://nla.gov.au/nla.obj-552028296 (accessed 2 June 2025)
Everyones, Incorporating Australian Variety and Show World, Vol. 14, No.734, 21 March 1934, p.27, http://nla.gov.au/nla.obj-580086339 (accessed 2 June 2025)
Leann Richards, ‘Frank, Lank and Alice—“the only juggler in Australia juggling three clubs in one hand … ” ’, Threw the Hat, A History of Juggling in Australia, 26 February 2023, https://www.threw-the-hat.com/search/label/Alice%20Uren?m=0 (accessed 22 December 2024)
Val Jellay (Mrs Maurie Fields), Stagestruck, An Autobiography, Richmond, Victoria, Spectrum Publications, 1994
Roy Rene, Mo’s Memoirs, ‘The Bunyip’, Reed & Harris, Melbourne, 1945
Werribee Shire Banner (Vic) ’Altona News’, 5 November 1931, p.3. http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article74578589 (accessed 1 June 2025)
