Physical Culture to Physical Skill
In the late 1800s, sport and women were seldom spoken of in combination though “experts” did agree that young ladies needed some suitable exercise. Acceptable physical outlets for young women included gymnasium work and training known as physical culture. Acadia University and the Acadia Ladies Seminary followed the Delsarte method which emphasized physical expression of emotion in connection with speech, typically poetry or drama. In order to do this, students studied and rigorously practised a series of exercises to develop their strength and coordination so they could perform in a graceful, lady-like manner. Martha Graham and other pioneers of modern dance used Delsarte as their starting point.
The first gym instructor at Acadia, Henry Nelson Shaw, introduced the Delsarte drill to Nova Scotia. An exhibition held by Shaw’s students in 1892 featured men and women. The April 1892 Athenaeum commented that “The ladies of the college are on a par almost with the young men in the way of opportunity for physical training and they have evidently made as good if not better use of those advantages. They did excellent work....” In 1904, the Seminary’s Pierian reported: “In Physical Culture the system of instruction during the year has been the “Delsarte,” the aims of which are proper development of the muscles, correct carriage, correct walking, ease, dignity and grace.” While not competitive and not vigorous in the modern sense, the exercises were considerably more demanding than what had been allowed young women of the time.
Part of every public demonstration that featured the Delsarte method was a series of poses that featured the women, dressed in Grecian-style robes, portraying emotions to accompany a poem or music. They also enacted well known art or dramatic scenes, usually based on classical art and literature; the art and literature would have been well known to audiences of the time.
As women’s roles began to change in the 1900s, so too did women’s physical activity. Girls and women began to play sports they had been excluded from only a few years before and though greatly restricted by prohibition on competitiveness, women began to practice skills that eventually led to competitive gymnastics. In 1926, women athletes at Acadia University formed the Tumbler’s Club. A combination of a somewhat secretive, restricted membership club and a gymnastics training program, the club attracted women who were already excellent athletes. They studied and practised tumbling, gymnastics and various human pyramid formations. While its aim– “to secure form, poise, balance and grace in the execution of bodily movement”– was similar to that of the Delsarte method, the Tumblers took a more athletic approach to their work. The women dressed in exercise costumes for their public exhibition, unlike the Grecian drapes demanded by Delsarte. Like the Delsarte women, they gave a public exhibition each year that was wildly popular with Wolfville residents. “The select group of Acadia girl athletes known as the “Tumblers,” gave an exhibition of their ability in the Memorial gymnasium Monday evening and the stunts performed by these twelve with ease and grace was remarkable.” The Tumblers continued for some years, but then was phased out as more sports became available for women athletes. Not until 1972 did Acadia have a competitive gymnastics team.
(Acadia Athenaeum, April 1892, 34; Pierian, May 1904, 34; Wolfville Acadian, 17 December 1931, 1)
