Born: 1914 (Whanganui, New Zealand)
Died: 2005
Biography:
Rona Bailey (née Stephenson; 24 December 1914 – 7 September 2005) was a New Zealand drama and dance practitioner, educationalist, and activist. She played a pivotal role in the advancement of contemporary dance and professional theater in New Zealand. Additionally, Bailey actively participated in the anti-apartheid movement during the 1970s and 1980s and contributed to the Treaty of Waitangi anti-racist education that began in the mid-1980s.
Born in Whanganui, New Zealand, on 24 December 1914, Rona Bailey grew up in Gisborne, where her family owned a shoe shop. She received her education and training as a teacher in Auckland and Christchurch. In 1937, Bailey embarked on a journey to the United States to study modern dance at the University of California in Berkeley. The following year, she transferred to Columbia University in New York. During her time in the United States, she received instruction from renowned dance pioneers such as Doris Humphry, Charles Weidman, Louis Horst, and Lucille Czarnowski. Bailey also had the opportunity to witness the groundbreaking works of innovative choreographer Martha Graham.
In 1945, Rona Bailey married Chip Bailey, and together, they actively supported the waterside workers’ union during the 1951 New Zealand waterfront dispute. The couple played a significant role in creating pro-union leaflets, which were deemed illegal under the National government’s emergency regulations. Sadly, Chip Bailey passed away at a young age of 42 due to a brain tumor in 1963.
Returning to New Zealand after her studies in the United States, Rona Bailey worked as a Physical Welfare Officer with the Department of Internal Affairs. In this role, she incorporated modern dance techniques into the curriculum at Wellington Teachers’ Training College, making a profound impact on the physical education movement in New Zealand.
In 1945, Bailey, along with Philip and Olive Smithells, founded the New Dance Group, which operated for two years. Modeled after the New York-based company of the same name, the New Dance Group introduced radical ideas of dance and art to both dancers and audiences. Their dance performances were described as modern, political, and expressive, and they garnered attention through their innovative approach.
Rona Bailey enjoyed a longstanding collaboration with Nola Millar, a fellow colleague involved in the Unity Theatre. In 1964, Bailey and Anne Flannery established the New Theatre School of Drama, where Bailey taught movement. This endeavor led to the birth of national drama training in New Zealand in 1970 when Bailey, Millar, and others founded the New Zealand Drama School. Bailey played a crucial role as one of the core tutors at the drama school.
Passionate about her work, Rona Bailey dedicated herself to teaching at the New Zealand Drama School until 1988. She played an instrumental part in the school’s commitment to identifying as a bi-cultural institution, embracing the principles of the Treaty of Waitangi. Her contributions to drama and dance education in New Zealand remain influential and enduring.