In early 2016, by way of a Victoria Foundation grant, Dance Victoria hired University of Victoria MA candidate, Elizabeth Bassett, to work on the South Vancouver Island Dance Archives (SVIDA) collection alongside the existing volunteer Archives Committee at Dance Victoria. Her primary focus was to interview several key women in South Vancouver Island’s dance history to make sure we preserved their stories. The interviews and Elizabeth’s writings were so impressive that Dance Victoria published a limited edition book, Dancing on the Island – Six Women Who Shaped Dance on South Vancouver Island, Canada. All chapters are available in this Community Dance Archives by clicking the ”related links” above.
BORN IN 1926, VELDA WILLE SCOBIE grew up in Victoria, British Columbia. Around the age of four, Wille began her dance training with Florence Clough. Gradually developing a love for tap dancing, Wille continued training at the Florence Clough Dance Studio for 14 years before she opened her own dance school, The Velda Wille School of Dancing, in 1944. In addition to being a talented dancer, Wille soon proved to be a talented teacher; many recall Wille’s particular gift for inspiring the love of dance in her many students. ~ excerpt from Dancing on the lsland.
Scroll down and click on the PDF below to read the full Velda Wille Scobie chapter from Dancing on the Island.
Velda Wille Scobie at Empire Theatre 1931
Velda Wille
- Date of Submission: 2021-05-24
- Updated: 2022-02-04