By Naomi Larkin
Freda Stark, whose near-naked dances intrigued Auckland audiences nearly 60 years ago, has died.
She passed away peacefully on Friday night, aged 88, at a West Auckland rest-home. Her funeral will be held in Henderson today.
In the 1930s and 1940s, wearing little more than a G-string and thick gold
paint, Freda Stark held audiences spellbound with her performances at the Civic Theatre in Queen St.
Big floorshows were staged for the American GIs at the theatre, followed by a newsreel and feature film. Her dance was the highlight of the evening.
She later said the paint "kept me warm."
Her life off stage also became the subject of public interest when, in 1935, her lesbian lover, Thelma Mareo, was murdered.
Freda Stark began dancing classes around 9 years old and later learned acrobatics from a circus performer in Australia.
She became an adagio dancer, which involved a lot of acrobatics. During the war years she varied her act with tap dancing, high kicks and hulas.
A tiny woman - 1.47cm tall - she was described as being exceptionally supple, and continued dancing until she was 35.
She emigrated to England and married Harold Robinson, a New Zealander who was studying ballet in London. She got an office job at New Zealand House. The pair danced together in a short film, Curves and Contrasts, which was found in a private collection in 1995. The couple later separated.
She returned home in 1970.
Her niece, Aucklander Diane Miller, described her aunt as "one stylish lady."
"She was a bit like stardust or the fairy on top of the Christmas tree. She breezed in and out like a butterfly in your life."
