‘LOVING, CARING, WONDERFUL AND PATIENT’: Raymond Callis
By Rick Lyon, Co-Editor
Tributes have been paid to a much-loved Hull dance teacher who, alongside his wife, taught generations of people over more than half a century.
Raymond Callis, who founded the Callis Waudby School of Dancing with Joyce, has died aged 92 after a career that brought the couple national recognition and made them familiar faces across Hull and East Yorkshire.
Their son Paul has paid tribute to a devoted father and grandfather whose humour and patience endeared him to tens of thousands of pupils.
Raymond died on October 17, leaving Joyce, 86, with whom he had shared a dancing partnership spanning 71 years.
Paul said: “Dad was the most loving, caring, wonderful and patient father anyone could ever wish for. He was always there for me, no matter what had happened.
“He and Mum sacrificed so much to give me the best opportunities in life, often going without themselves so they could provide for me. I will be eternally grateful for everything they have done.”
PARTNERSHIP: Raymond and wife Joyce in their heyday
Born in Hanover Street, Hull, on June 17, 1934, Raymond grew up around Marshall Street and Newland Avenue.
His childhood memories included sheltering from wartime air raids beneath the family staircase, which his father reinforced with metal sheeting.
In a handwritten memoir, he recalled sleeping in a small bunk above his parents and an occasion when he and his father collided while rushing to shelter, only to discover the siren was sounding the all-clear.
He left school at 15 and began work the following Monday as a messenger boy for the Docks and Inland Waterways Executive, cycling between dock offices to deliver correspondence.
A keen cyclist and roller-skater, he became involved with Hull Thursday Road Club before dancing gradually took over his interests.
National Service took him to Catterick and Scotland. Initially, he thought ballroom dancing looked far too complicated, but evenings at a Scottish town hall helped change his mind.
SUCCESSFUL: Raymond and Joyce with a trophy haul
After returning to civilian life in 1954, Raymond worked at St Andrew’s Dock before moving into telecommunications, where he spent around 17 years.
Joyce, whose maiden name was Waudby, was already an accomplished dancer, having trained in ballet, tap and acrobatics and won the All England Ballet Championship and Ruth French Trophy.
Their families had known each other when they were children, and Raymond recalled attending Joyce’s fifth birthday party.
Later, after watching one of his early tap-dancing performances, she suggested he would benefit from lessons at the Cyril Thompson dancing school and then they were then both taught by the nationally renowned Henry Kingston in Kent, where they travelled every Sunday morning for private lessons.
Together, Raymond and Joyce developed a successful competitive partnership, winning regional and county titles.
They became the first holders of the Alex Moore Trophy in a novice competition with more than 90 entrants, securing victory after a long day on an outdoor dance floor, with the final beginning at midnight.
WINNERS: Raymond and Joyce with one of their numerous titles
They competed at the International Dancing Championships at the Royal Albert Hall in 1965 and, after turning professional, reached the semi-finals of the British Professional Championships at Blackpool.
Their career also included ballroom demonstrations aboard cruise ships, while Raymond was selected by the International Dance Teachers’ Association to demonstrate and instruct fellow professionals.
In October 1969, they opened the Callis Waudby School of Dancing, combining their surnames in a business that would become part of the social lives of generations of local people.
Both qualified as teachers with the association in 1970 and retired from competitive dancing in 1972 to concentrate on the school.
They began at Newington Hall in Albert Avenue before moving to premises on Ferensway above the former ABC cinemas, later demolished as part of the St Stephen’s development.
Classes subsequently took them to a church in Freehold Street, the Women’s Institute in South Cave and finally Brantingham Village Hall.
FORMIDABLE: Raymond and Joyce dancing up a storm
Paul said his parents had taught tens of thousands of people over the decades and were well known regionally and nationally, with Raymond recently described as an “icon” in the dancing world.
For many pupils, the lessons brought lasting friendships as well as the confidence to step onto a dance floor. Some also met their future husbands or wives at the school.
Their teaching extended into line dancing and rhythmical fitness, and their work with the local Osteoporosis Society helped raise tens of thousands of pounds for the charity.
Raymond continued teaching this year at 92, while Joyce has only recently paused dancing following his death.
Away from the dance floor, Paul remembers a father whose immaculate appearance extended even to gardening in a proper shirt and trousers.
He said: “Dad was also incredibly funny. He always had a joke or some banter, and he could hold a room full of people with his stories and personality.
TEAM: Raymond and Joyce had a dance partnership spanning 71 years
“He was a real character, but above all he was a wonderful dad. I couldn’t have wished for better parents.”
A friend once told Paul he had “won the lottery” when it came to having a father.
“That really struck a chord with me because it is exactly how I feel,” Paul said.
“I’m incredibly proud of everything he achieved, but even prouder of the man he was.”
Raymond’s grandsons Henry and Emerson brought him particular happiness, and he spent years supporting them at swimming training and competitions.
Paul said: “When Henry and Emerson came along, Dad had a completely new lease of life. He absolutely adored them.
FAMILY MAN: Raymond with wife Joyce, son Paul, daughter-in-law Esther and grandsons Henry and Emerson
“He would do absolutely anything for the boys, just as he had always done for me. If we needed him, he was there, whatever the time of day. Nothing was ever more important to Dad than his family.”
The family, including Paul’s wife Esther, would welcome memories and photographs from former pupils.
Paul said: “Dad spent so much of his life bringing people together through dancing, and it would be lovely to hear how many lives he touched.”
Raymond’s funeral will take place at Haltemprice Crematorium at 11.30am on Thursday, November 19. In keeping with his wishes, mourners are asked not to wear black.