John Thomas Ibbotson Tiller (13 June 1854 – 22 October 1925) was a musical theatre director who was credited with inventing precision dance and was the originator of the 'Tiller Girls'.

By this time John was a full partner in the cotton business and was living in a large house like his uncle.

His early pupils practised for hours every Saturday afternoon amongst the bales of cotton in one of the firm's warehouses.

His first dance performances were at small local church dances, and due to his position as director of the Comedy Theatre Manchester, he was able to arrange for his small dancers a place in the theatre's Christmas pantomime (his first real performance although not credited at the time).

In 1890 John was asked to present a quartet of children for the pantomime "Robinson Crusoe" at the Prince of Wales Theatre, Liverpool.

He chose four of his best Manchester pupils, all aged about 10 years: Dolly Grey, Tessie Lomax, and twins Cissy and Lilly Smith.

The pantomime lasted for three months with every show generating glowing reports in the newspapers and receiving awards for the girls and their manager.

His body was brought back to London and travelled to Brookwood Cemetery on the special funeral train.

There is speculation among his descendants as to whether he adopted the kicking and headdress after watching the Lipizzaner stallions on one of his many trips abroad.

In New York City, John Tiller opened a dance school at 226 West 72nd Street, with offices and a training studio.

After John's death in 1925, Mary Read signed a very profitable contract with RKO studios.

Mary closed the American Tiller School in 1935 and married Donald Leman Clark, PhD, a professor of rhetoric at Columbia University in New York.

(source: Boltz family archives) The Tiller schools remained open and run by Doris Alloway, Barbara Aitken and R.J. Smith.

In 1973 the Tiller school was taken over by the impresario Robert Luff, with Barbara Aitken remaining as director and choreographer.