MARCHING

Press, Volume LXXXVIII, Issue 26692, 28 March 1952, Page 8

MARCHING

BLAIR ATHOLL TEAM GIVES DISPLAY

FORTHCOMING TOUR OF BRITAIN

A spectacular display of marching by 18 Christchurch marching teams was given at the Addington Show Grounds last evening as part of the farewell tc tne Blair Atholl marching team from Dunedin, which is making a tour of New Zealand before leaving for Britain. In all but name, the Blair Atholl team will be a New Zealand representative comb.nn tion.

With a notable record of successes in competitive marching in the last lew seasons, the Blair Atholl team, which has been tour, times runner-up in the New Zealand marching championship, has this season refrained from active competition in order to concentrate on training 10l its overseas tour. The normal marching team comprises 10 girls, but the Blair Atholl team has 13, partly to enable it to give more spectacular displays and partly to have some reserve strength in 'members. The average age of the girls is 18J Although the tour by the team is a private venture, and the money to finance it has been raised mostly by the efforts of the girls themselves, the project nas the full support of the New Zealand Marching Association. In a 25-minute display of marching the Blair Atholl team executed a series or 60 movements with excellent precision. It also gave a display of burlesque marching.

In addition to marching the member* of the team are skilled in national dancing and can give a three-hour performance without the assistance of other entertainers.

The grand finale of last evening's entertainment was a massed display of maze marching by 160 girls to the tune of “Cock o’ the North.’’ The music was played by the Christchurch Municipal Band, the City of Christchurch Highland Pipe Band, and the City of Christchurch Ladies’ Highland Pipe Band.