Felicity Isabelle "Flick" Colby (March 23, 1946 – May 26, 2011) was an

American American(s) may refer to: * American, something of, from, or related to the United States of America, commonly known as the "United States" or "America" ** Americans, citizens and nationals of the United States of America ** American ancestry, p ...

dancer Dance is an The arts, art form, consisting of sequences of body movements with aesthetic and often Symbol, symbolic value, either improvised or purposefully selected. Dance can be categorized and described by its choreography, by its repertoir ...

and

choreographer Choreography is the art of designing sequences of movements of physical bodies (or their depictions) in which Motion (physics), motion or Visual appearance, form or both are specified. ''Choreography'' may also refer to the design itself. A chor ...

best known for being a founding member and the choreographer of the

United Kingdom The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Northwestern Europe, off the coast of European mainland, the continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotlan ...

dance troupe

Pan's People Pan's People were a British all-female dance troupe most commonly associated with the BBC TV music chart show ''Top of the Pops'', from 1968 to 1976. The group, founded and led by choreographer Felicity "Flick" Colby in December 1966, accompanie ...

, which appeared on the

BBC1 BBC One is a British free-to-air public broadcast television channel owned and operated by the BBC. It is the corporation's oldest and Flagship (broadcasting), flagship channel, and is known for broadcasting mainstream programming, which includ ...

chart show ''

Top of the Pops ''Top of the Pops'' (''TOTP'') is a British record chart television programme, made by the BBC and broadcast weekly between 1January 1964 and 30 July 2006. The programme was the world's longest-running weekly music show. For most of its histo ...

'' from 1968 to 1976. Colby became the full-time dance choreographer for the ''Top of the Pops'' dance troupes Pan's People,

Ruby Flipper Ruby Flipper were a multiracial, mixed-sex dance troupe who performed dance routines to songs in the UK Singles Chart on the BBC television series ''Top of the Pops'' in 1976. Members The original Ruby Flipper line-up consisted of four female dan ...

, Legs & Co., and

Zoo A zoo (short for zoological garden; also called an animal park or menagerie) is a facility where animals are kept within enclosures for public exhibition and often bred for conservation purposes. The term ''zoological garden'' refers to zoology, ...

(credited as "Dance Director"), from 1972 until 1983.

Early life

Colby was born in

Danville, Pennsylvania Danville is a borough in and the county seat of Montour County, Pennsylvania, United States, along the North Branch of the Susquehanna River. The population was 4,221 at the 2020 census. Danville is part of the Bloomsburg-Berwick micropolita ...

. Her father was Thomas E. Colby, Professor of German at

Hamilton College Hamilton College is a Private college, private Liberal arts colleges in the United States, liberal arts college in Clinton, Oneida County, New York, Clinton, New York. It was established as the Hamilton-Oneida Academy in 1793 and received its c ...

Clinton, New York Clinton, New York may refer to: *Clinton County, New York *Clinton, Clinton County, New York *Clinton, Dutchess County, New York *Clinton, Oneida County, New York * Clinton, Manhattan, or Hell's Kitchen, a neighborhood in New York City *East Greenb ...

. As a child, Colby lived in Clinton and later in

Massachusetts Massachusetts ( ; ), officially the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, is a U.S. state, state in the New England region of the Northeastern United States. It borders the Atlantic Ocean and the Gulf of Maine to its east, Connecticut and Rhode ...

. Educated at a school in

New Hampshire New Hampshire ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the New England region of the Northeastern United States. It borders Massachusetts to the south, Vermont to the west, Maine and the Gulf of Maine to the east, and the Canadian province of Quebec t ...

and

Abbot Academy Abbot Academy (also known as Abbot Female Seminary and AA) was an University-preparatory school, independent boarding preparatory school for women boarding and day care for students in grades 9–12 from 1828 to 1973. Located in Andover, Massac ...

(

Andover, Massachusetts Andover is a town in Essex County, Massachusetts, United States. It was Settler, settled in 1642 and incorporated in 1646."Andover" in ''Encyclopedia Britannica, The New Encyclopædia Britannica''. Chicago: Encyclopædia Britannica Inc., 15th ed. ...

), she began attending

ballet Ballet () is a type of performance dance that originated during the Italian Renaissance in the fifteenth century and later developed into a concert dance form in France and Russia. It has since become a widespread and highly technical form of ...

and other dance classes in

Boston Boston is the capital and most populous city in the Commonwealth (U.S. state), Commonwealth of Massachusetts in the United States. The city serves as the cultural and Financial centre, financial center of New England, a region of the Northeas ...

and performed in

musical Musical is the adjective of music. Musical may also refer to: * Musical theatre, a performance art that combines songs, spoken dialogue, acting and dance * Musical film Musical film is a film genre in which songs by the Character (arts), charac ...

s before travelling to London in 1966.

Career

In 1966, Colby founded

, an all-female

dance troupe A dance troupe or dance company is a group of dancers and associated personnel who work together to perform dances as a sport, spectacle or entertainment. There are many different types of dance companies, often working in different list of dance ...

most commonly associated with ''Top of the Pops.'' She choreographed routines for Pan's People on the series for eight years, from late 1968 until 1976. The weekly

record chart A record chart, in the music industry, also called a music chart, is a ranking of Sound recording and reproduction, recorded music according to certain criteria during a given period. Many different criteria are used in worldwide charts, ofte ...

was released on Tuesday mornings, and the live show aired on Thursday evenings. This created a need for regular studio appearances by the top artists who often had hectic touring schedules that made it difficult for them to be present on the show. Colby had six hours to create a dance routine for an absent act's single, choreographing moves to suit a wide range of musical styles such as disco, punk, glam rock, soul, and folk. Pan's People went through changes in line-up, by December 1967 it comprised Colby, former Dee Dee Wilde, Babs Lord, Louise Clarke, Ruth Pearson, and Andrea Rutherford (later replaced by Cherry Gillespie).PansPeople.co
Flick Colby: Her Story in Words and Pictures
/ref> Pan's People earliest BBC television appearance was in 1968 on ''The

Bobbie Gentry Bobbie Gentry (born Roberta Lee Streeter; July 27, 1942) is an American retired singer-songwriter. She was one of the first female artists in the United States to compose and produce her own material. Gentry rose to international fame in 1967 ...

Show'', initially broadcast on BBC2 and repeated later on BBC1. They first appeared on ''Top of the Pops'' in April 1968, and became a regular weekly feature in January 1970. Performances on other BBC series followed, including ''

Happening For Lulu ''Happening for Lulu'' was the original title of a television series broadcast on BBC1 from 1968 to 1969 hosted by Lulu and produced by Stanley Dorfman. The show's title was changed to ''Lulu'' from episode 3, broadcast 11 January 1969. Jimi Hend ...

'' and ''The Price of Fame'' starring

Georgie Fame Georgie Fame (born Clive Powell; 26 June 1943) is an English R&B and jazz musician. Fame, who had a string of 1960s hits, is still performing, often working with contemporaries such as Alan Price, Van Morrison and Bill Wyman. Fame is the only B ...

and

Alan Price Alan Price (born 19 April 1942) is an English musician who first found prominence as the original keyboardist of the English rock band the Animals. He left the band in 1965 to form the Alan Price Set; his hit singles with and without the group ...

in 1969, and series such as ''

Sez Les ''Sez Les'' is a British sketch comedy show that starred Les Dawson. It was produced by Yorkshire Television, and aired on ITV from 1969 to 1976. Les Dawson and Roy Barraclough (who was a cast member from series four onward) regularly perfo ...

'', ''

The Black and White Minstrel Show ''The Black and White Minstrel Show'' is a British light entertainment show on BBC prime-time television that ran from 1958 to 1978. The weekly variety show presented traditional American minstrel and country songs, as well as show tunes and m ...

'', and ''

The Goodies The Goodies were a trio of British comedians: Tim Brooke-Taylor (17 July 1940 – 12 April 2020), Graeme Garden (b. 18 February 1943) and Bill Oddie (b. 7 July 1941). The trio created, wrote for and performed in their The Goodies (TV series), ...

''. In 1974, Pan's People released a single titled "''You Can Really Rock and Roll Me,''" and made guest appearances on popular primetime programs such as "''The Two Ronnies''" and "''

The Benny Hill Show ''The Benny Hill Show'' is a British comedy television show starring Benny Hill that aired on the BBC and ITV between 15 January 1955 and 1 May 1989. The show consisted mainly of sketch comedy, sketches typified by slapstick, mime, parody, and ...

''." Colby also choreographed stage musicals such as ''Catch My Soul'', starring the American singer, songwriter, and actor PJ Proby and

PP Arnold Patricia Ann Cole (born October 3, 1946), known professionally as P. P. Arnold, is an American-born British-based soul singer. She began her career in 1965 as an Ikette with the Ike & Tina Turner Revue. The following year she relocated to Londo ...

. From 1972, Colby decided to focus on choreographing rather than dancing, leaving Pan's People as a performer but continuing to choreograph their routines. When Pan's People wound down in 1976, she formed a new dance troupe for ''TOTP'' named "

", a mixed-sex troupe for which Colby could create more physically strenuous routines that included lifts. Ruby Flipper was quickly succeeded by "

Legs & Co Legs & Co. was a dance troupe created in 1976 for the BBC's weekly ''Top of the Pops'' programme. They had made over three hundred appearances on this show by the time of their last performance in 1981. The group then continued for four further y ...

," an all-female lineup that also performed in the 1978 film ''The Stud''. Both troupes were managed by former Pan's People dancer Ruth Pearson. Legs & Co lasted on TOTP until 1981, at which point Colby formed the much larger dance troupe "

", for which Top of the Pops credited her as its "Dance Director". Zoo was seen on TOTP until 1983, after which the program no longer used dancers. In 1979, Colby co-wrote the instructional guide, "''Let's Go Dancing'' " with Elizabeth Romain.

Personal life

For a few years after Colby's tenure with ''Top of the Pops'', she split her time between her family's home town of

and London, but eventually chose to settle down in Clinton, where she lived the remainder of her life. She owned and operated a

gift shop A gift shop or souvenir shop is a store primarily selling souvenirs, memorabilia, and other items relating to a particular topic or theme. The items sold often include coffee mugs, stuffed animals, toys, t-shirts, postcards, handmade collection ...

named Paddywacks. Colby married three times: first to writer

Robert Marasco Robert Marasco (September 22, 1936 – December 6, 1998) was an American Horror fiction, horror novelist, playwright, and teacher. He is best known for his 1970 Broadway play ''Child's Play (play), Child's Play'', and his supernatural novel ''Bu ...

, then to James Ramble in 1967, and finally in 2003 to George Bahlke, a professor of literature at Hamilton College, where Colby's father had taught German.Leigh, Spencer
Obituary: Flick Colby
''The Independent'', May 31, 2011.
''Daily Telegraph'', May 29, 2011. Colby had

breast cancer Breast cancer is a cancer that develops from breast tissue. Signs of breast cancer may include a Breast lump, lump in the breast, a change in breast shape, dimpling of the skin, Milk-rejection sign, milk rejection, fluid coming from the nipp ...

during the final years of her life, and died of

bronchopneumonia Bronchopneumonia is a subtype of pneumonia. It is the acute inflammation of the Bronchus, bronchi, accompanied by inflamed patches in the nearby lobules of the lungs. citing: Webster's New World College Dictionary, Fifth Edition, Copyright 2014 ...

Obituary, ''

The Times ''The Times'' is a British Newspaper#Daily, daily Newspaper#National, national newspaper based in London. It began in 1785 under the title ''The Daily Universal Register'', adopting its modern name on 1 January 1788. ''The Times'' and its si ...

'', May 30, 2011, p. 42 at her home in Clinton in May 2011, aged 65, just four months after her husband George Bahlke died due to complications from pneumonia on 1 February. She was survived by her sister, and brother, Thomas Colby IV.

Filmography

Television

References

External links

Flick Colby: Her Story in Words and Pictures (PansPeople.com)
* {{DEFAULTSORT:Colby, Flick 1946 births 2011 deaths American choreographers American female dancers Dancers from New York (state) Dancers from Pennsylvania Deaths from bronchopneumonia Deaths from pneumonia in New York (state) People from Clinton, Oneida County, New York People from Hazleton, Pennsylvania 21st-century American women