NEWS of the Century.

The first issue of Dance Magazine--then called The American Dancer--was published in June 1927. In the 1920s and 1930s the magazine offered news of the changing dance worm in Europe and America. All photos are from Dance Magazine's archives. Original spellings and style have been retained.

1927 JUNE--Her Majesty the Queen of Spain gave orders that the Charleston was not to be danced during her Royal visit to Malaga ... but, however, after she had seen the flat Charleston, not the exaggerated Charleston, she allowed the Crown Prince and Princess to take lessons and removed the ban.

AUGUST--Diaghileffs Russian Ballet is now giving a two months season at the Princess Theatre, London.... The new productions are "Le Pas D'Acier," ... "The Cat" [by George Balanchine].... and "Mercury."

SEPTEMBER--The present demand for male dancers is the greatest in the history of the terpsichorean art, according to Ernest Belcher.... "There is an exceptional opportunity now ..." says Mr. Belcher. "Regular `he-men,' not the aesthetic type, are commanding unusually high salaries."

The Royal Opera in "Stockholm" Sweden ... had a visit from the famous German dancer and dance reformer Mary Wigman, who had little success as her interpretations were misunderstood.

Upon his return from a long trip abroad with his wife, Ruth St. Denis, Ted Shawn of the noted team popularly known as Denishawn, has been engaged by Samuel Goldwyn to stage all the dances in Gilda Gray's starting vehicle, "The Devil Dancer."

Up to the time of the Great War, European enthusiasts had been inclined to deny the existence of American creative ability in any field other than manufacturing. But this war ... [drove] the ablest leaders in the dancing world to America. These same enthusiasts now profess ... that America has gained an American School of Art: the dance as modified by American ideas, and molded by the American sense of poetry.

OCTOBER--Isadora Duncan--in life an exotic creature whose very spirit was as prismatic as the dances for which she was adored ... has passed on.

1928 FEBRUARY--La Loie Fuller! That name which once danced in gay electric lights ... is now forever stilled.... Forever stilled are the graceful billowings of her ... skirts and draperies--the "new idea" in dancing which brought fame to La Loie. And yet it has been stated (oh! unjust criticism) that a mechanical device would have sufficed as well as the lithe body of the American dancer.

JUNE--Josephine Baker, the negress movie and dance star, has settled down to a long run of success in Vienna now, after being banned, much to the disappointment of the Hakenkrenzless, the extreme Nationalists.

JULY--A competition was held in England for the best ballet solo dancer of 1927. The list ... was as follows: 1. Anton Dolin. 2. Anna Pavlova. 3. Vera Nemchinova. 4. Phyllis Bedells. 5. Thomas Karsivina.

SEPTEMBER--Muriel Smart is ... to take up duties in Chicago as Ballet Mistress and Premiere Danseuse of the Opera.... This is one of the most coveted ballet positions in the world.

Many teachers of tap and step dancing have been seen lately at the Liberty Theatre where Blackbirds of 1928 holds forth.... Bill Robinson, America's best tap dancer, ... gives more than a normal course in this branch of dancing every evening.

DECEMBER--The sun of life set for Enrico Cecchetti in Milan during the last week of November.... His passing marks the removal of the last connecting link of that ... school of which Fanny Elssler, Marie Taglioni, and Carlotta Grisi were representative.

1929 OCTOBER--With the death of Serge Diaghileff, the art world has lost a great man. Diaghileff was responsible for the successes of the Russian Ballet for the past twenty years.

The qualifications that the dance director at Paramount Studio considers necessary for cinema dancing are [in order of value]: dancing ability, looks, personality, figure, carriage, expression, and youth.... Paramount recently determined a few statistics regarding the chorus girls.... The result, height, 5'2" to 5'4"; weight, 105 to 115 pounds; age, 16 to 20 years.

1930 FEBRUARY--The State Ballets of Moscow have been revolutionized by Soviet rule. Today, male dancers, instead of women, describe the spirit of the new Russia-with their vigorous dancing.

APRIL--The revival of ... "Promethee" at the Pads Opera fell entirely upon the shoulders of that clever dancer Serge Lifar owing to the sudden illness of George Balanchine.

MAY--[Anna] Pavlova has a much stronger supporting company this year as she has enlisted the services of several of the dancers of the disbanded Diaghileff company.

JULY--[For] the presentation of Le Sacre du Printemps, Stravinsky's ballet.... Leonide Massine directed the choreography and Martha Graham was the featured soloist.

1931 MARCH--A black ebony coffin with silver fittings inscribed: Anna Pavlova Dandre, born 3 February, 1888; died 23 January, 1931, lay in state at the Russian church in London, England, for two days.... crowds passed by the ebony coffin covered with the old Russian flag and almost completely hidden under masses of lilies, blood red carnations and flowers of spring.

APRIL--A few years ago the Swedish Ballet was a great rival of the Russian Ballet and its star until the end was Jean Borlin.... he has died at the early age of thirty-seven, alone, forsaken, and forgotten by the dance public.

OCTOBER--At Argus Bowl, amid distant rumbles of thunder, ... [Lester] Horton appeared in the American Indian prayer for rain. As the dance progressed the rain began to fall, first slow, heavy drops, and then steadily increasing in force until the end of the dance brought a veritable downpour.