Letter to the Editor

Thanks for the coverage on pages 10-11 of the symposium on the Ballets Russes ("Dance that sparked a cultural revolution", Adelaidean, May 2008).

By chance, I encountered at West Terrace Cemetery the grave of Madeline Parker, who toured Australia with the 1936 De Basil Ballet and who danced under the stage name of Mira Dimina. She danced here in Adelaide but struggled with an apparent throat infection. This was in fact leukaemia and she died here in November 1936, aged 24.

The Friends of West Terrace Cemetery conduct tours of the cemetery. These may be tailored to suit interests and time availability. Enquiries should be made in the first instance to the Adelaide Cemeteries Authority, phone (08) 8139 7400.

Bob Sutherland
Member, The Friends of West Terrace Cemetery
Hope Valley