Clog dancer originally from Crewe.
Members of the IRT visited Elsie Brookes in Crewe in March 1981. Her brother, Sam Steele had published the steps which they learned from their father in 1971, and the IRT had visited him in late 1980 to recollect the material. Elsie had an excellent recall of her father’s steps, which differed in some details from the recollection of her brother. She also knew steps in waltz rhythm which had not been published.
On their visit the IRT were able to collect 7 steps in 4/4 time and three waltz steps.
The material collected from Elsie Brookes and her brother Sam Steele, including a comparison with the previously published version, was published in Metherell, C., The Steele Family Steps, Newcastle: Newcastle Series (nd).
Information on this page derives from an interview with Elsie Brookes on 29/3/1981.