The Young Dancer: 70 years of the Young Dancer section.

The Young Dancer section in Dance Magazine his reflected the changing times and experiences of three generations of young dancers -- from the Dance Troupers of the 1930s and forties and the growing independence young dancers in the fifties and sixties to the internationalization or and computer literacy of dancers in the nineties.

The Young Dancer section first appeared in the magazine in November 1938 as the official publication of the Dance Troupers, an international organization of dance students. Similar in structure to today's Girl and Boy Scouts it was a popular activity -- in May 1939 there were over 250 troupes. To qualify as a trouper, students had to be both enrolled at a Dance school and a subscriber to Dance Magazine.

In addition to studying dance, the industrious Troupers busied themselves giving revues and recitals; holding meetings and electing officers; hosting wiener roasts, pool parties, and peanut hunts; making scrapbooks; and constructing floats for parades. To fill their coffers, troupers also sold magazine subscriptions and organized fundraisers. "The Bingo was so successful that there's now enough money in the Treasury to bring the whole troupe to New York to see a ballet performance," reported a New Jersey troupe in November 1938.

Recreational activities are not the only things that have changed in seventy years. In December 1938, Margaret E. Stirling wrote: "Neatly covered cardboard boxes are always in demand at bazaars because they are useful in every household. Boys are usually better at covering them than girls, because it's a job that takes careful measuring and boys are just naturally good mechanics." The idea of traditional male and The idea of traditional male and female roles appears again when Mary Saron of Eleanor Powell Troupe 41 describes her troupe's summer activities: "We have had two grand picnics lately .... The fathers played baseball and horseshoes and the mothers volleyball, bingo, and some of them even went down the bamboo slides."

The tone of the Young Dancer in the thirties and forties was informal and accessible, like a friendly small-town newspaper. The section profiled young dancers: "They're cheering hard for 4-year-old Joan Loprocina who has been winning prizes right and left! Joan sings, taps, does toe and acrobatic, not to mention ballroom. At a recent revue, she's reported to have brought the house down with her rumba." And a suggestion for wiener roasts in June 1940: "Invitations cut out of construction paper in the form of mustard pots or wienies or some other appropriate symbol are cute and easy to make and are worthy items to be kept in scrap books."

Other articles offer a glimpse into both the pace and the priorities of the prewar era. Cleanliness and a neat appearance were paramount values in the early editions of Young Dancer: "Nothing is more disgusting than to see an acrobatic dancer whose costume has obviously been rolled around on the floor on too many occasions." Another article from 1940 describes how to pack for travel. Step-by-step illustrations and very complicated instructions show how to cut newspapers and pin and fold them inside clothing to prevent wrinkling. Mordkin Ballet's Patricia Bowman's suggestions for the perfect summer travel wardrobe included: "One dark silk dress, with detachable white collar. Three complete changes of undies. One girdle. Two nighties, two pairs gloves, one light, one dark, six pairs of stockings, and a silk kimono."

Film star Eleanor Powell was the Grand Trouper throughout the late 1930s and early 1940s and contributed a chatty monthly column discussing her films and supplying anecdotes about other stars such as Joan Crawford, George Burns, Fred Astaire, Red Skelton, Spencer Tracy, Jimmy Stewart, and Mickey Rooney.

Powell kept the young dancers up-to-date. "Not only because it is my job, but because I love dancing so, I like to ferret out new dance trends" she wrote in December 1938. "And do you know what the newest craze is? Not the Lambeth Walk, not the Limpy-Dimp, but our good, old-fashioned favorite -- the waltz."

Some of her anecdotes are fascinating to read: "Helen Keller came backstage and thanked me for the privilege of seeing, and hearing, my performance" she wrote in 1939. "She said every tap was as plain as can be, and even felt my face and arms and described me to a `T.' I asked her for a picture, and was thrilled the following day, to receive a beautiful portrait of Miss Keller with her two beautiful Seeing Eye police dogs -- and on it, this inscription: `I would gladly trade my two dogs for your two "dogs.""

The war creeps into Young Dancer mainly through Powell's column. In February 1941, she writes, "In spite of the fact that the world is so upset, and most of us were not in as jovial spirits as in former years, we still managed to have a very happy Christmas, as I know you all did." She describes going on the Victory Caravan with other stars "for Uncle Sam's nephews" and a Christmas Eve benefit where "I could have gone on dancing and talking for hours -- but of course there were others there, and besides the boys have lots of very important thing to do beside seeing shows."

A young dancer named Nelson Barclift, who was drafted into the army, describes a different side -- that of dreams postponed or lost -- in an article appearing in September 1942. "In February 1941, I was drafted into the army. It seemed one of the grayest days of my life, what with no more plies, no more extensions, no more contractions and releases, and no more career. Producers were gone, now there were captains. Sergeants were now the teachers, and the agents were corporals, finding work for me without the usual 10 percent. Most dancers think that they're well disciplined. I thought I was, until Uncle Sam got me." The soldier kept dancing when he could and eventually become an army choreographer, organizing shows to entertain the men.

The effects of the war on civilians were also noted in a description of the childhood of dancer and film star Leslie Caron: "During the war, like the majority of French youth, she suffered from malnutrition and, later, anemia. She was often absent from school and, even worse, from her beginning ballet lessons because she was too hungry and too fragile to take class."

After an eight-year hiatus, the Young Dancer section reappears in February 1952 and introduces a new generation of independent, sophisticated young dancers. Articles on subjects such as the laws concerning children on television replace descriptions of Dance Troupers. For the first time, career alternatives such as dance librarian, notator, and stage lighting designer are profiled.

For six months, the section is edited by young dancers themselves, as guest editors from the High School of Performing Arts in New York City took the reins, and young dancers are given the opportunity to address their concerns and to speak for themselves.

The resulting articles are relevant and well written, on important subjects ranging from how to deal with parents unsupportive of dance careers to health and financial concerns. In May 1953 the young editors posed this question to famous dance figures: `Are dancers dumb?' Antony Tudor replied, "One must distinguish between intelligence and intellect. The intellectual approach does not deal in the physical; therefore it is not so important to a ballet dancer, but native intelligence is essential."

Throughout the years, Dance Magazine has recognized the talent of many young dancers, some of whom later become stars. Most notably, a very young Cynthia Gregory in a tiny black tutu graced our cover in August 1953 and was prominently featured in a photo spread about her ballet school.

After disappearing for almost forty years, the Young Dancer section reappears again in July 1992. The current generation of young dancers is international -- the world has become smaller as a result of the expansion of air travel and the telecommunications revolution. The coverage now includes young dancers and dance schools in Europe, Asia, and Africa. In the February 1997 issue, young dancer and writer Ellen Rath recommended using the Internet to research dance companies to decide where to audition.

The some dance expansion has occurred in the United States, and as a result young dancers can acquire first-rate training closer to home. Students no longer need to live in New York City to attend an arts high school, as arts magnet high schools have sprung up all over the country and are profiled in Young Dancer. In addition, young dancers can look forward to fulfilling careers in respected companies without leaving their own geographical area.

Although the changing generations represented in Dance Magazine experienced very different eras, the same combination of determination, discipline, ambition, and love of the art form has characterized young dancers throughout the post seventy years.