In early March 1973 Moira Shearer left the comfort of her home at The Old Manse in Makerstoun, Scotland and travelled to the US to begin a gruelling 6-week lecture tour. She was 47 years old, had been married for 23 years and had 4 children.
The theme of the lectures was “The History of Ballet”. By her own account this was a subject that had interested her since childhood. She was uniquely qualified to discuss it and the promoters of the tour agreed. She had already given similar lectures at several venues in England and Wales. She was booked to appear in between 20 and 30 locations that ranged from the East Coast, Louisville, Kentucky, the Midwest and the Far West. The tour began in Newark, New Jersey on March 12th and ended in San Rafael, California on April 20th.
The format of each appearance was generally the same. A member of the local organizing committee would introduce Shearer who would then talk, probably for around an hour. If time permitted there would be an opportunity for questions to Shearer from the audience and, perhaps, for meeting with her. Once the public had left local reporters were then allowed to interview her.
The newspaper accounts that have survived indicate that each of the reporters was more intent in exploring “human interest” than the history of ballet. This may have also represented the primary interest of much of the audience. Shearer seemed to be amenable to talking about herself.
The reporter for the Chicago Daily News, who attended her lecture in Evanston, Illinois on April 9th, gave the following account. It is probably a good synopsis of each of the appearances on the tour.
“The onetime ballerina is on her first full-scale lecture tour, speaking almost daily in towns and cities across the country for 6 weeks. Her appearance in Evanston on a recent rainy afternoon was her 4th lecture in the Chicago area in a two-week period.
The question inevitably as to why Moira Shearer is finally giving talks on ballet a full 19 years after she quit and more than a decade since she drew a paycheck for any kind of theatrical work.
The answer is simple. She was asked. 4 times in fact, by various lecture agencies.
‘It seemed sensible to do, something I like and do well and that contributes to the childrens’ school fees which are astronomical’, she said, while relaxing after the lecture and hand-shaking routine.
The 3 oldest children are girls, the 10-year-old is a boy. This bit of biographical information is almost always mentioned when Miss Shearer is introduced to her audiences and, if a question period follows her talk, almost always leads to the question of whether the girls plan to become ballerinas”.
Shearer’s response was that ‘It is ludicrous to think that kind of talent is hereditary’. In another interview she indicated that she would neither encourage nor discourage her children from taking up dancing. Her stance obviously reflects the fact that she was “forced” to study ballet by her mother and that it was not a path she would have chosen for herself.
Moira Shearer meets with members of the audience after her lecture in Evanston, Illinois early in April 1973. Photographer unknown. The photo was published in the Chicago Daily News on April 9th.
The reporter for the Minnesota Star-Tribune on March 29th, 1973, made reference to Shearer’s enduring “star quality”.
“I’ve always admired Moira Shearer for her looks (blue-green eyes, pale skin, red-gold hair and freckles) her talent (dancing and acting) and her name (Moira)”.
“As a dancer with the Sadler’s Wells Ballet, Miss Shearer said, she was “liberated” as a teenager. ‘All British women were mobilized during World War 2’, she said. ‘They did men’s jobs but didn’t lose their femininity. If I hadn’t danced – and we danced right through all of the bombing raids – I probably would have been in a factory or driving a truck’. The same reporter continued, “May I say that Miss Shearer could be an inspiration to housewives everywhere. Shearer added, ‘I was an only child and lonely….. having my own family was the best thing that ever happened’.
Shearer’s final lecture was at the Marin Veterans Memorial Building in San Rafael on April 20th. The reporter was Jean Lisetour of the Independent Journal. She headlined her account as, “Doesn’t like to talk shop”.
Notwithstanding the subject of the lecture, the history of ballet, and focusing on her own career Lisetour reported that Shearer “would rather talk about her family, politics – just about anything – more than ballet. ‘It is difficult to say you enjoy performing ballet. It is satisfying occasionally when you feel you have given a good performance, but that only happens about once every five years. Usually there is a flood of tears in the dressing room after a performance because of a mistake that the public does not even know you made …. I was not at all a dedicated dancer. I didn’t choose (ballet) myself, and it didn’t break my heart to stop dancing’”.
Shearer summed up the tour by saying that she had enjoyed it but was looking forward to getting back to The Old Manse and to her family.
Sources.
Chicago Daily News, April 9th, 1973
The Independent Journal, San Rafael, undated, but mid-April 1973.
Minneapolis Courier Journal, March 23rd, 1973
Minneapolis Star-Tribune, March 29th, 1973
Newark Advocate, March 13th, 1973
Moira Shearer 
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