Pan's People
Encyclopedia
Pan's People were a British TV dance troupe, who are usually associated with the BBC TV music chart show Top of the Pops
.
In an era before pop videos, they danced to songs whose original artists were not available to perform them live. They were not the first dance troupe to appear regularly on TOTP; they were preceded by The Go-Jos
in the programme's first four years, before Pan's People replaced them in May 1968. They did not start off with weekly appearances, but they had become an almost-weekly feature of the programme by early 1970.
to a sextet
, they appeared on television series in the UK and the Netherlands before they were first approached to appear on Top of the Pops in 1968.
Two dancers from the troupe were invited to dance on TOTP by choreographer Virginia Mason in 1968 for a routine to "Simon Says
" by the 1910 Fruitgum Company. This was followed by a further routine featuring three members of Pan's People, dancing to "Respect
" by Aretha Franklin
, and subsequently, the entire sextet appeared in a routine set to "US Male" by Elvis Presley
.
Colby gradually stood down from dancing duties towards the end of 1971 to concentrate full-time on choreographing the group's routines. At the end of 1972, Rutherford left Pan's People to raise a family, and was replaced by Cherry Gillespie. In mid-1974, Clarke left Pan's People to start a family. Her replacement, chosen through an open audition, was Susan "Sue" Menhenick.
The final personnel changes within the troupe occurred during 1975, when Lord, then Wilde left the group. When Lord departed, two members joined the troupe, Mary Corpe and Lee Ward.
The line-up by the time of Pan's People's final routines for TOTP in April 1976 was:
Reveilles 26th September 1975 issue states that Dee Dee is 28, Sue is 20, Ruth is 29, Cherry is 20, Mary is 17, and Lee is 19.
In 1974, Pan's People appeared in their own edition of the In Concert series for the BBC television.
, who went on to join the more raunchy Hot Gossip
before marrying Andrew Lloyd Webber
. Tracy went on to a successful career in the South Yorkshire police force, after competing in the national dressage championships.
The best remembered of the original members is Babs Lord, as a result of her marriage to the actor Robert Powell
and her subsequent career as an amateur yachtswoman and world explorer, having made several trips to the Himalayas
, the Sahara
, both Poles and the jungle in Guyana
. She holds the remarkable record of being the oldest housewife to visit both the North
and South Pole
s. Lord was the subject of BBC's This Is Your Life
in November 2001. She appeared on the final regular weekly edition of Top of the Pops on 30 July 2006, the only member of any of the show's dance troupes to appear in person at the recording.
Top of the Pops continued to use professional dancers until 1981, with Colby remaining as the show's choreographer through the entire period. Pan's People were followed by a group called Ruby Flipper
, which featured male and female dancers. However, there was pressure to return to the all-girl format, and after six months Legs and Co. were created, and named after a viewer competition. Both Gillespie and Mehenick from Pan's People featured in Ruby Flipper, with Mehenick going on to join Legs & Co. Pearson was Legs & Co's manager. Legs & Co performed every week on the show until 1981, when they were replaced by Zoo
– a large troupe of dancers where individual members could be selected to perform each week, depending on the song. Flick Colby became the 'Dance Director' for Top Of The Pops at this time. By the early 1980s Zoo's role had shifted towards leading the audience, and eventually the group was disbanded, some members remaining in the crowd as strategically placed 'cheerleaders'.
In 1997, Gillespie appeared as a panelist on Channel Five's nostalgia quiz Wowfabgroovy.
Colby died of bronchial pneumonia on 26 May 2011, at the age of 65.
Top of the Pops
Top of the Pops, also known as TOTP, is a British music chart television programme, made by the BBC and originally broadcast weekly from 1 January 1964 to 30 July 2006. After 25 December 2006 it became a radio program, now hosted by Tony Blackburn...
.
In an era before pop videos, they danced to songs whose original artists were not available to perform them live. They were not the first dance troupe to appear regularly on TOTP; they were preceded by The Go-Jos
Go-Jos
Go-Jos were a British TV dance troupe, who appeared regularly on the BBC 1 TV music chart show Top of the Pops following its launch in 1964 until Pan's People replaced them in May 1968....
in the programme's first four years, before Pan's People replaced them in May 1968. They did not start off with weekly appearances, but they had become an almost-weekly feature of the programme by early 1970.
History
Pan's People were formed in December 1966 in London. Building up from an initial trioTrio
- Musical ensembles and forms :*Trio , three people performing music in some way*Piano trio *String trio *Trio *Clarinet-violin-piano trio...
to a sextet
Sextet
A sextet is a formation containing exactly six members. It is commonly associated with vocal or musical instrument groups, but can be applied to any situation where six similar or related objects are considered a single unit....
, they appeared on television series in the UK and the Netherlands before they were first approached to appear on Top of the Pops in 1968.
Two dancers from the troupe were invited to dance on TOTP by choreographer Virginia Mason in 1968 for a routine to "Simon Says
Simon Says (1910 Fruitgum Company song)
"Simon Says" is a bubblegum pop song, written by Elliot Chiprut and originally recorded by the 1910 Fruitgum Company in 1967.The song was based on the children's game "Simon says." Produced by Jerry Kasenetz, Steve Katz, and Chiprut, the single was issued by Buddah Records and entered the U.S. Hot...
" by the 1910 Fruitgum Company. This was followed by a further routine featuring three members of Pan's People, dancing to "Respect
Respect (song)
"Respect" is a song written and originally released by Stax recording artist Otis Redding in 1965. "Respect" became a 1967 hit and signature song for R&B singer Aretha Franklin. The music in the two versions is significantly different, and through a few minor changes in the lyrics, the stories told...
" by Aretha Franklin
Aretha Franklin
Aretha Louise Franklin is an American singer, songwriter, and pianist. Although known for her soul recordings and referred to as The Queen of Soul, Franklin is also adept at jazz, blues, R&B, gospel music, and rock. Rolling Stone magazine ranked her atop its list of The Greatest Singers of All...
, and subsequently, the entire sextet appeared in a routine set to "US Male" by Elvis Presley
Elvis Presley
Elvis Aaron Presley was one of the most popular American singers of the 20th century. A cultural icon, he is widely known by the single name Elvis. He is often referred to as the "King of Rock and Roll" or simply "the King"....
.
Members
The original Pan's People line-up consisted of:- Louise Clarke
- Felicity "Flick" ColbyFlick ColbyFlick Colby was an American dancer and choreographer best known for being a founder member and the choreographer of the United Kingdom dance troupe Pan's People which was a fixture on the BBC 1 chart show Top of the Pops from 1968 to 1976.Born in Hazelton, Pennsylvania, her father was Thomas E...
(1946-2011) - Barbara "Babs" Lord
- Ruth Pearson
- Andrea "Andi" Rutherford
- Patricia "Dee Dee" Wilde
Colby gradually stood down from dancing duties towards the end of 1971 to concentrate full-time on choreographing the group's routines. At the end of 1972, Rutherford left Pan's People to raise a family, and was replaced by Cherry Gillespie. In mid-1974, Clarke left Pan's People to start a family. Her replacement, chosen through an open audition, was Susan "Sue" Menhenick.
The final personnel changes within the troupe occurred during 1975, when Lord, then Wilde left the group. When Lord departed, two members joined the troupe, Mary Corpe and Lee Ward.
The line-up by the time of Pan's People's final routines for TOTP in April 1976 was:
- Mary Corpe
- Cherry Gillespie
- Sue Menhenick
- Lee Ward
- Ruth Pearson (the only remaining original member)
Reveilles 26th September 1975 issue states that Dee Dee is 28, Sue is 20, Ruth is 29, Cherry is 20, Mary is 17, and Lee is 19.
Work outside TOTP
Among other series Pan's People appeared on were:- Bobbie Gentry (BBC)
- Lulu (BBC)
- The Price of Fame (BBC)
- The John Denver Show (BBC)
- The Two Ronnies (BBC)
In 1974, Pan's People appeared in their own edition of the In Concert series for the BBC television.
Life after TOTP
Even after their departure from Top of the Pops Pan's People were much in demand for personal appearances. Dee Dee Wilde knew the name was still marketable and kept Pan's People alive as she continued to dance with and manage a new group of girls: Pauline Crawford, Abigail Higgins, Patricia McSherry, Francesca Whitburn and Sarah Woollett. A member for a short time during this period was Sarah BrightmanSarah Brightman
Sarah Brightman is an English classical crossover soprano, actress, songwriter and dancer. She is famous for possessing a vocal range of over 3 octaves and singing in the whistle register...
, who went on to join the more raunchy Hot Gossip
Hot Gossip
-Formation:Arlene Phillips came to London to learn and teach developing American Jazz dance routines. Employed as a dance teacher, she taught at locations including the Pineapple Dance Studios and the Italia Conti Stage School. In 1974, Phillips started forming the core of a troupe; Italia Conti...
before marrying Andrew Lloyd Webber
Andrew Lloyd Webber
Andrew Lloyd Webber, Baron Lloyd-Webber is an English composer of musical theatre.Lloyd Webber has achieved great popular success in musical theatre. Several of his musicals have run for more than a decade both in the West End and on Broadway. He has composed 13 musicals, a song cycle, a set of...
. Tracy went on to a successful career in the South Yorkshire police force, after competing in the national dressage championships.
The best remembered of the original members is Babs Lord, as a result of her marriage to the actor Robert Powell
Robert Powell
Robert Powell is an English television and film actor, probably most famous for his title role in Jesus of Nazareth and as the fictional secret agent Richard Hannay...
and her subsequent career as an amateur yachtswoman and world explorer, having made several trips to the Himalayas
Himalayas
The Himalaya Range or Himalaya Mountains Sanskrit: Devanagari: हिमालय, literally "abode of snow"), usually called the Himalayas or Himalaya for short, is a mountain range in Asia, separating the Indian subcontinent from the Tibetan Plateau...
, the Sahara
Sahara
The Sahara is the world's second largest desert, after Antarctica. At over , it covers most of Northern Africa, making it almost as large as Europe or the United States. The Sahara stretches from the Red Sea, including parts of the Mediterranean coasts, to the outskirts of the Atlantic Ocean...
, both Poles and the jungle in Guyana
Guyana
Guyana , officially the Co-operative Republic of Guyana, previously the colony of British Guiana, is a sovereign state on the northern coast of South America that is culturally part of the Anglophone Caribbean. Guyana was a former colony of the Dutch and of the British...
. She holds the remarkable record of being the oldest housewife to visit both the North
North Pole
The North Pole, also known as the Geographic North Pole or Terrestrial North Pole, is, subject to the caveats explained below, defined as the point in the northern hemisphere where the Earth's axis of rotation meets its surface...
and South Pole
South Pole
The South Pole, also known as the Geographic South Pole or Terrestrial South Pole, is one of the two points where the Earth's axis of rotation intersects its surface. It is the southernmost point on the surface of the Earth and lies on the opposite side of the Earth from the North Pole...
s. Lord was the subject of BBC's This Is Your Life
This Is Your Life
This Is Your Life is an American television documentary series broadcast on NBC, originally hosted by its producer, Ralph Edwards from 1952 to 1961. In the show, the host surprises a guest, and proceeds to take them through their life in front of an audience including friends and family.Edwards...
in November 2001. She appeared on the final regular weekly edition of Top of the Pops on 30 July 2006, the only member of any of the show's dance troupes to appear in person at the recording.
Top of the Pops continued to use professional dancers until 1981, with Colby remaining as the show's choreographer through the entire period. Pan's People were followed by a group called Ruby Flipper
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:...
, which featured male and female dancers. However, there was pressure to return to the all-girl format, and after six months Legs and Co. were created, and named after a viewer competition. Both Gillespie and Mehenick from Pan's People featured in Ruby Flipper, with Mehenick going on to join Legs & Co. Pearson was Legs & Co's manager. Legs & Co performed every week on the show until 1981, when they were replaced by Zoo
Zoo (dance troupe)
Zoo were a dance troupe who appeared on the weekly British music series Top of the Pops between 1981 and 1983.Like previous dance troupes Pan's People, Ruby Flipper and their immediate predecessors Legs & Co., Zoo were put together and choreographed by Flick Colby...
– a large troupe of dancers where individual members could be selected to perform each week, depending on the song. Flick Colby became the 'Dance Director' for Top Of The Pops at this time. By the early 1980s Zoo's role had shifted towards leading the audience, and eventually the group was disbanded, some members remaining in the crowd as strategically placed 'cheerleaders'.
In 1997, Gillespie appeared as a panelist on Channel Five's nostalgia quiz Wowfabgroovy.
Colby died of bronchial pneumonia on 26 May 2011, at the age of 65.