Over the course of her dance career, Nulty studied with the Jack Stanley School of Dancing in New York and, to keep her skills sharp, attended dance classes at the University of Vermont and at conventions in Boston and New York. By 1957, she had become a member of Dance Educators of America, after a difficult four-hour examination that included assessment of her choreography, teaching, and knowledge of music.<\/p>\n Left: Nulty with daughter and student Mary in matching costumes. Right: Nulty shows the proper technique in her studio on St. Paul Street.<\/em><\/p>\n Enrollments rose to 250 to 300 students. By the mid-1950s, Nulty had established a custom studio space at 86 St. Paul Street, complete with a waiting area, barre, and mirrored wall. Eventually, the business came full circle with a studio in her new home on Pearl Street.<\/p>\n Modeled after the famous Radio City Rockettes, Nulty founded The Pollyettes dance chorus and precision drill team about 1954. Comprised entirely of high school students, the Pollyettes maintained an impressive schedule of public performances for a variety of fraternal, religious, and benevolent organizations, even traveling to appear on local television in Schenectady and Plattsburg, New York in 1955.<\/p>\n Nulty retired in 1977. Former pupil, teacher, Pollyette, and daughter-in-law Angie Olio Nulty (1952-2018) continued the legacy by running her own studio for 25 years. There, the third generation of Nultys became dance students alongside many other Burlington children.<\/p>\n Lorette Sousie, born in Winooski, Vermont in 1924, began teaching dance at 18.\u00a0 She operated the Sousie School of Dance in Burlington for 35 years. From 1949 to 1984, Sousie offered instruction at venues around the city. Over the years, she taught tap, ballet, jazz and baton with the help of daughters Donna and Karen. <\/em>In a 2008 Burlington Free Press<\/em> article that featured Sousie, the writer observed,\u201cThe principles of respect and consideration were incorporated in the way she handled her students. No matter their level of talent, she helped them discover a way to shine.”<\/p>\n L. L. McAllister photographed Lorette Sousie\u2019s students from 1955-1961, when she held classes at 138 North Winooski and then in a home studio at 115 North Avenue. The posed photographs capture the creativity of Sousie\u2019s themes and costumes as well as the students\u2019 enthusiasm. McAllister took photos in the studio and at performance sites like the Lyman C. Hunt Middle School, where Sousie presented annual recitals. As part of the L. L. McAllister Collection<\/a>, the photos were originally labeled \u201cDance Recitals \u2014 Unidentified.\u201d In 2014, when the library digitized the massive collection of prints, a member of the project team met with Lorette Sousie to identify dancers, studio locations and dates.<\/p>\n Notes<\/strong><\/p>\n In February, we mounted a new exhibit in our small gallery, “Work of Art: Dancing Together in Vermont.” The exhibit examines the process involved in creating diverse dance communities, from groups of girls and boys in clever costumes tap dancing … Continue reading ![\"Newspaper](\"http:\/\/blog.uvm.edu\/uvmsc-specialcollections\/files\/2020\/03\/nulty_ad1.jpg\" "\\"Nulty")
<\/a>Polly Nulty (1923-1992) owned and directed her dance studio for 30 years, providing inspiration and guidance to a generation of Burlington children. Nulty started teaching neighborhood kids for free in her home in 1947, when she could spare the time from her responsibilities as a homemaker, wife, and mother. Enrollment soon increased to about 60 students and she launched a business, with classes at Burlington\u2019s Heineberg Club. Outreach to surrounding towns included Stowe, Morrisville, Waterbury, Richmond, Essex Junction, and more.<\/p>\n<\/a><\/a><\/p>\n<\/a>Nulty (left) guides students into the proper posture and formation during class.<\/em><\/p>\n<\/a>Months of dedication and training culminated each year in a grand recital, bringing the whole studio together to entertain and impress an audience full of family and friends. The combination of bold costumes, bright lights, music, and excitement all around made for strong memories. The picture of the 1952 recital below includes a glimpse of the larger studio community making up the capacity audience at the Nazareth School, later St. Joseph\u2019s. Note the standing ovation in progress from the balcony \u2013 a fun night and a happy memory for the admission price of just 60\u00a2.<\/p>\n<\/a>Students perform the Narcissus dance in the 1952 recital.<\/em><\/p>\n<\/a>Family and friends stand to applaud the dancers at the conclusion of the 1952 recital.<\/em><\/p>\n<\/a>While the team’s namesake and dance instructor was Polly Nulty, their drill instructor was Sergeant Mina Yeager (second from left in photo above), a recruiting officer in the Women\u2019s Army Corps (WACs). Yeager provided drill instruction without charge in a style similar to the basic training required of WAC recruits.<\/p>\n<\/a>Pollyettes on the move. The troupe heads to Schenectady, where they will appear on the \u201cHome Fare\u201d television show. The Burlington-Lake Champlain Chamber of Commerce supported their round-trip transportation in a chartered bus. A sign on the bus read \u201cFrom the shores of Lake Champlain, Vermont\u2019s Own Pollyettes.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\nLorette Sousie: Developing the Love of Dance<\/strong><\/h3>\n
<\/a>When Sousie died in 2018, her obituary noted that she \u201chelped develop the love of dance in many children. She was very proud of her students and took pleasure in presenting them in recitals, at nursing homes, minstrel and talent shows, and many other venues.\u201d<\/p>\nT<\/em>ap dancers on stage at the Lyman C. Hunt School in Burlington, Vermont.<\/em><\/p>\n<\/a>Daughter Donna Sousie smiles at the front of the group next to the mirror.<\/em><\/p>\nS<\/em>on Allen Sousie stands in the middle of the back row of young cowboys.<\/em><\/p>\n\n