Back and still the best.

For more than forty-seven years, DANCE MAGAZINE has produced an industry resource--a directory of companies, choreographers, teachers, manufacturers, artists' managers, presenters, writers, photographers, designers, schools, studios, and more. From 1989 to 2003, the publication was called Stern's Director. In keeping with the rebranding of all DANCE MAGAZINE products, we are returning to its original name: DANCE ANNUAL. DIRECTORY. Our reason is self-evident--it's about dance and it's printed every year.

As a professional dancer with a BA from San Francisco State University and a passion for the field, I understand from experience the value of a personal phone book with more than 85,000 names, addresses, phone numbers, email addresses, Web sites, and contacts. But it's not just about names and numbers.

In just the last year, I've learned how complex and interwoven the dance community is. For example, many dance companies, such as San Francisco Ballet, offer dance to children in schools and provide successful outreach programs to tuner city communities. Organizations such as Dance Theater Workshop in New York City are providing smaller companies with a place to collaborate and produce shows to get their work out there. With the use of current technology, companies that tour internationally can now provide an easy way for dancegoers to purchase tickets at venues all over the world, through their Web sites.

The cool thing about The DANCE ANNUAL DIRECTORY is that it can facilitate communication within the dance community, so that the kinds of things I've just described can happen, But there's more: Do you want to contact a company you read about? It's in this book. Are you an artist looking for management? It's here. Need to find a shoe or leotard for class? looking to replace your studio's flooring? I made sure those listings are there. Are you healing from an injury and searching for a good Pilates studio or somatic practice? Do you want to get away for the summer or continue studying dance after a move? Are you a company director looking for a guest artist for your Nutcracker? Look in this book.

We may regard the DANCE ANNUAL DIRECTORY as a bunch of names and numbers, but it truly is the cement of our community. It's a way of demonstrating the critical mass of an industry that's often looked at as not having an impact. Actively take a role; make yourself and your colleagues more visible. It takes no time at all, costs nothing, and you can make a difference. So go to www. dancemagazine.com and tell the masses who you are.