HIGH KICKS

Evening Star, Issue 20252, 13 August 1929, Page 1

HIGH KICKS

PULLED GIRL’S LEG Loosening-up exercises for a London revue proved a painful procedure for Vera Wilson, a young actress, and an expensive one for Max Rivers, (lancing school proprietor. When Miss "Wilson's leg was stretched during high-kicking practice, ligaments wore torn. Her claim for damages succeeded. “ Stop,” shouted the girl, when Bert Graham, who is instructor for Max Rivers, proprietor of an Oxford street dancing school, forcibly raised Iter leg, with one hand on her heel, and the other behind her knee, causing her intense pain. The incident occurred during loosen-ing-up exercise to fit- her for high kicking in a dance number which Rivers wrote for her appearance in a revue. Graham, according to Miss Wilson's evidence, in the King’s Bench Division, supporting her claim for damages against Rivers, jerked her leg further. She felt the ligaments tearing behind the knee, and releasing herself from a waist-high bar behind her. which she gripped during the exercise, she lay down on the floor, while Graham tried another movement in the leg in order to rectify the damage. Wilson said she attempted to resume the exercise, but; collapsed. ' Graham denied having used force, and said that Wilson had agreed to the exercise. It was not his fault. The sequel was .her absence from the stage for some months. Previously only girls had stretched her leg. .Evidence "'as given for the defence that Rivers .had trained 3,000 dancers, including comedy star*. This instance of injury was unique.