Fanny Emily Mary Hooper, known as Minnie Hooper (1876 – 1964), was an Australian dance instructor and ballet mistress. She has been credited, with Jennie Brenan and Minnie Everett, with maintaining the high standard of Australian dance and ballet in the 1920s, between the reigns of Emilia Pasta and

Anna Pavlova Anna Pavlovna Pavlova. (born Anna Matveyevna Pavlova; – 23 January 1931) was a Russian prima ballerina. She was a principal artist of the Imperial Russian Ballet and the Ballets Russes of Sergei Diaghilev, but is most recognized for creating ...

. She had a long series of contracts with

J. C. Williamson's J. C. Williamson's, formerly Williamson, Garner, & Musgrove and Williamson and Musgrove, was an Australian theatrical management company and theatre owner. With its beginnings in the theatrical productions of J. C. Williamson and his p ...

and conducted classes at her dance studio on

Pitt Street, Sydney Pitt Street is a major street in the Sydney central business district in New South Wales, Australia. The street runs through the entire city centre from Circular Quay in the north to Waterloo, New South Wales, Waterloo, although today's street ...

History

Hooper was born in

Carlton, Victoria Carlton is an inner-city suburb in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia, three kilometres north of the Melbourne central business district within the city of Melbourne local government area. Carlton recorded a population of 16,055 at the 2021 census. ...

, third daughter of George Charles Beech Hooper (April 1846 – 23 June 1920) and Emma Jane Hooper, née Taylor, (1847 – 8 July 1931), of "Strathmore", Grey Street, East Melbourne, Victoria, later of 18 Rosstown Road,

Carnegie, Victoria Carnegie is a suburb in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia, 12 km south-east of Melbourne's central business district, on the railway line between Caulfield and Oakleigh, located within the City of Glen Eira local government area. Carnegie r ...

/ East Caulfield, Victoria. In 1894 she was appearing in shows as a member of the "Parisian Pas de Quatre" with Annie Cobb, Lena Cassellis, and Alice Mitchell. She appeared as a

harlequin Harlequin (, , ; , ) is the best-known of the comic servant characters (Zanni) from the Italian commedia dell'arte, associated with the city of Bergamo. The role is traditionally believed to have been introduced by the Italian actor-manager Zan ...

in the 1896 Christmas pantomime at

Her Majesty's Theatre, Sydney Her Majesty's Theatre, Sydney, Australia, refers to three theatres of the same name none of which remain standing. They were located in central Sydney on either Pitt Street or Quay Street. History First theatre (1887–1933) The original Her M ...

, choreographed by Emilia Pasta and produced by Charles B. Westmacott for Williamson and Musgrove and "trouser parts" in successive pantos, the later ballets being arranged by Minnie Everett. In 1902 she appeared in a series of musical plays at the

Criterion Criterion (: criteria) may refer to: General * Criterion, Oregon, a historic unincorporated community in the United States * Criterion Place, a proposed skyscraper in West Yorkshire, England * Criterion Restaurant, in London, England * Criteri ...

: George Dance's operetta ''

The Lady Slavey ''The Lady Slavey'' was an 1894 operetta in two acts with a score by John Crook (with contributions by Henry Wood and Letty Lind, among others), to a libretto by George Dance (with additional lyrics by Adrian Ross, among others) which opened at ...

'' directed by J. F. Sheridan, closely followed by ''Mrs Goldstein'', written by Sheridan and F. W. Weierter, and ''Little Christopher Columbus'', in which Hooper was praised. She led the ballet in ''Uncle Tom's Cabin'' and a revival of ''A Trip to Chicago''. She also produced a pantomime ''Cinderella'', which ran for four weeks, and at its conclusion Hooper and Rosevear, who designed the costumes, were each presented with an engraved gold watch by a grateful Sheridan. Other work for Sheridan included ''The Lady (or New) Barmaid'' (1903) with music by John Crook, In 1919 she made a claim against

of £30 for salary withheld during government-imposed closure of theatres due to the

influenza epidemic Flu season is an annually recurring time period characterized by the prevalence of an outbreak of influenza (flu). The season occurs during the cold half of the year in each hemisphere. It takes approximately two days to show symptoms. Influen ...

. She succeeded on the grounds that the restrictions applied to Melbourne city, and her contract was not limited to the metropolitan district.

Family

Minnie Hooper married Ernest Cox Rose (died 24 June 1941) on 15 December 1896. They had one son *John David Rose (born c. 1932) They had a home, "Wiltshire Hall", Brook and Alfreda streets,

Coogee, New South Wales Coogee () is a beachside suburb in the Eastern Suburbs (Sydney), Eastern Suburbs of Sydney, New South Wales, Australia, eight kilometres south-east of the Sydney central business district. The Tasman Sea and Coogee Bay along with Coogee Bea ...

. Two sisters were dancers: *Fifth daughter, Ruby Effie May Hooper (1885–1960) operated a dance academy in Sydney and played in pantomimes. She married a Mr Moser. *Sixth daughter Violet Alice Rose "Vi" Hooper (1887–1964) shared a dance academy with Hilda McMurtry at 343 Swanston Street, Melbourne. She married a Mr Carl.

Notes

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Hooper, Minnie 1876 births 1964 deaths Ballet in Australia Australian ballet mistresses