Secret life of Maitland dancer John Hampton Christison to be revealed
From the Maitland Mercury report:
The life and times of champion Maitland dancer John Hampton Christison are morally dubious to say the least.
To the public the Scotland native was a highly acclaimed dancer who arrived in the Hunter region in the late 1870s where he proceeded to thrill Maitland audiences with his spectacular exhibition dances and taught hundreds of locals to dance.
But the public persona of this larger-than-life character masked some secrets and puzzles, and his time in Maitland was marked by sudden disappearances, parallel careers and long absences interstate and overseas.
Next week Ray Christison will reveal his great-grandfather’s secrets during a Maitland City LibraryLook Who’s Talking local history event.
Titled Fancy Footwork, the presentation will tell the tale of Professor Christison’s checkered life which included bankruptcy, adultery, cruelty and kidnapping.
