Elizabeth Twistington Higgins

Elizabeth Twistington Higgins MBE
Elizabeth Twistington Higgins, with a painting tool in her mouth, from a 1960 publication.
Born	Elizabeth Patricia Twistington Higgins 6 November 1923 London, England
Died	12 September 1990 (aged 66)
Occupation(s)	Dancer, painter
Known for	Arts career after surviving polio in 1953

Elizabeth Twistington Higgins MBE (6 November 1923 – 12 September 1990) was a British ballet dancer, and later a painter.

Early life

Elizabeth Patricia Twistington Higgins was born in London in 1923,[1] one of the six children of Thomas Twistington Higgins. Her father was an Army surgeon in France during World War I, and later a pediatric urological surgeon.[2] Her older brother was Ian Thomas Twistington Higgins (1919–2006), a noted epidemiologist.[3] She trained as a dancer at the Royal Ballet School at Sadler's Wells.[4]

Career

Twistington was a professional ballet dancer and teacher in her twenties, until she contracted polio in 1953. She was paralysed below the neck, and used an iron lung and a wheelchair the rest of her life. She retrained as a painter, holding and controlling the brush with her lips; her subjects were usually still life or ballet themes. She used an adapted easel and other custom devices designed by Roger Jefcoate.[5] She was a member of the Association of Mouth and Foot Painting Artists,[1][6] and her paintings were exhibited internationally.[7] She directed a liturgical dance troupe, the Chelmsford Dancers, and continued to teach, choreograph, and design costumes for dance.[8]

On her birthday in 1961, Twistington was the subject of an episode of This Is Your Life, a weekly BBC television programme. Most subjects were surprised to be featured, but because there were concerns that she would be harmed by a sudden shock, she was briefed ahead of the show.^[citation needed] She wrote a memoir, Still Life, published in 1969.[9] In 1975 she appeared on the Christian inspirational programme Seeing and Believing, and she was featured in an informational film about assistive devices for disabled telephone users in 1977.[10] In 1980 she was the subject of a documentary film, The Dance Goes On, narrated by Rudolf Nureyev,[11] with an appearance by Joanna Lumley;[12] she was also the subject of a book of the same name, by Marc Alexander.[13]

Twistington Higgins was appointed a Member of the Order of the British Empire in 1977, for her services to the arts.[14]

Death

Elizabeth Twistington Higgins died in 1990, aged 66 years.[4]

References

1. McGwinn, Donna (1967). "Quad Hall of Fame: Elizabeth Twistington Higgins" (PDF). Toomey J. Gazette: 78–79.
2. "In memoriam: T. Twistington Higgins, O.B.E., F.R.C.S. (1887-1966)". Annals of the Royal College of Surgeons of England. 39 (4): 260–262. October 1966. ISSN 0035-8843. PMC 2312144. PMID 5333181.
3. "Ian Thomas Twistington Higgins". RCP Museum. Retrieved 20 July 2020.
4. Medler, Elizabeth. "An Exceptional Life" Archived 20 July 2020 at the Wayback Machine New Vision (July–August 2012): 6-8.
5. "Aid for Handicapped to Get Discussion". The Bangor Daily News. 19 May 1976. p. 19. Retrieved 20 July 2020 – via Newspapers.com.
6. "Elizabeth Twistington Higgins" (PDF). The Toomey J. Gazette. 3: 23. Spring 1960.
7. Brody, Jane E. (18 October 1965). "Works by 100 Disabled Artists Are Placed on Exhibit at Kenny". Star Tribune. p. 18. Retrieved 20 July 2020 – via Newspapers.com.
8. "Former ballerina and polio survivor still teaches ballet" East Anglia Film Archive 1970. At BFI Player.
9. Higgins, Elizabeth Twistington, 1923- (1969). Still life: the story of a struggle with disablement. London: Mowbray. ISBN 0-264-64504-9. OCLC 70560.
10. "Sidelines". The Guardian. 8 August 1977. p. 9. Retrieved 20 July 2020 – via Newspapers.com.
11. "Life and Dance Goes on for Polio Sufferer". The Sydney Morning Herald. 14 December 1981. p. 17. Retrieved 20 July 2020 – via Newspapers.com.
12. "Amazing woman's story sure to get you 'whistling'". The Sydney Morning Herald. 13 December 1981. p. 82. Retrieved 20 July 2020 – via Newspapers.com.
13. Alexander, Marc (1980). The dance goes on : the life and art of Elizabeth Twistington Higgins MBE. Kingsley [England]: Leader Books. ISBN 0-907159-00-1. OCLC 6943194.
14. "Queen Honors Polio Stricken Ballet Dancer". The Vancouver Sun. 21 July 1977. p. 38. Retrieved 20 July 2020 – via Newspapers.com.

External links

• Elizabeth Twistington Higgins at IMDb

Documentary https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qMUZjbR_nJc