Dance Magazine

[mylildancer]

My dd has a collection of Dance Magazine that dates back to 1999. She also has a collection of Pointe Magazine from the very first issue. Is there any reason to keep them and for how long? I really would like to convice her that she doesn't have to keep them all!

[Mel Johnson]

I am the worst person to answer this question.

 

The "day job" is as a museum curator with responsibility for the library/archives added onto that. My job is to say, "Keep everything!"

 

Others?

[pj]

My best thought is to also keep them all. We have a whole selection of dance magazines in our living room and while my dd is away in NY this summer, I plan to put them into the bookshelf (in order, chronologically, by publication) into those little boxes especially made for magazines. My daughter is young enough that not all the articles apply to her needs as a dancer today, nor is she interested in all of them; but later she may need the information in those articles. They really don't take up much space on a bookshelf, so I say, Why Not Keep Them?

[BW]

I suppose the answer is how much shelf room does your dancer have? Or your house/apartment? How many years are you keeping?

 

Depending upon the area in which you live, your library may well have copies dating back many years...

 

When all else fails, let your dancer decide how many boxes he or she can handle stacked up in bedroom closets, bookshelves, etc.

[Guest dancingforever]

Knock-knock! I am a dancer who likes to keep all my Pointe and Dance Magazine issues, but the space on my bookshelf is diminishing, so something I am starting to do is cut out the articles that focus on technique, artistry, companies...baisically the parts of the magazine that I can refer to later. This means I won't have a bookshelf full of leotard ads and listings of every ballet school in size 9 font!

[amethyst]

Dancingforever: That's what my daughter did too. She got some of those large binders and plastic page protectors. She tore out all the articles that she thought were interesting and filed them. She also saved the photos, many of which have ended up in her locker or on her school binders (she bought the kind with a clear plastic overlay on the cover and made collages of ballet pictures on them). It certainly takes up a lot less space in her room. You're right, who needs all those ads?

[amethyst]

Dancingforever: That's what my daughter did too. She got some of those large binders and plastic page protectors. She tore out all the articles that she thought were interesting and filed them. She also saved the photos, many of which have ended up in her locker or on her school binders (she bought the kind with a clear plastic overlay on the cover and made collages of ballet pictures on them). It certainly takes up a lot less space in her room. She even ended up saving a lot of the advertisement pictures - like the girl in a walking the bull dog in a tutu!

[b1]

My mom was a ballet dancer and teacher long before my sister and I came along. She also saved her Dance Magazines. I now have a great old collection that I inherited from her. I used many of them in my growing up years for projects (on dance, of course ) that needed pictures. So, not all of mine are in great condition. We did try to donate them to our local (small) library in MA, but they said thank you, but no, as they did not have enough room for them!

 

When I taught for a studio in Chicago, I would bring a lot of them in to the studio for parents to look through. Then, I would give 'assignments' to the students that required them to look through the magazines for pictures, etc. So, mine have been well used and well worn.

 

Do try to put them in binders, bins, etc, so that they are neat and accessible. I would suggest NOT storing them in the attic. If you have a very dry basement you could store them there. I have a very large storage closet on my main level that has 4 boxes of old dance memorabilia (sp?!). Your daughter will know when it will be time to weed through them and either donate or toss some of them. You can check with any colleges or universities in your area with (or without) a dance department and donate them in the future (and get a little tax write-off).

[thedriver]

I suppose the answer is how much shelf room does your dancer have? Or your house/apartment? When all else fails, let your dancer decide how many boxes he or she can handle stacked up in bedroom closets, bookshelves, etc.

I agree with BW if your DD has space in her room for the magazines let her keep them. If NOT - she should decide which ones to keep and which ones must be tossed or donated. Good Luck

[vagansmom]

Yep, I also heartily agree with BW's advice. Let your daughter make the ultimate decision based on what she's willing to store in her own available space.

[cmtaka]

I have all the dance magazines going back to the 70's. I also get Pointe Magazine but I cut that one up for tutu pictures. Use the binder method as well.

 

Dance Magazine has some great interviews and articles some of which are timeless. The did a series on dance history that was really great. I go back sometimes and re-read some articles when I'm looking for information. They also have great reviews and write ups on ballets including info on sets, costumes and period that you can't find just any where.

 

I also have an extensive video collection dating back to 1979 which was when I could afford a video player. So I ended up with all those great Dance in America shows on tape. I'm in the process of transferring them to dvd now. Never taped over or threw any of those away.

 

I'm not a pack rat but I keep most things that I think will stand the test of time. So I'd let her keep them if you have room. She may enjoy them later or just donate them if she decides they don't interest her anymore.

[mylildancer]

Thanks for all the suggestions and ideas everyone! My dd is definitely a pack rat. You should see the walls of our apartment. She couldn't bear to part with the pictures of all her old dance calendars so her favorites are tacked all over the walls. She also saves all of her letters from the various schools that she auditioned for. I think some magazine organizers for the book case are in order as well as maybe a binder with clear pockets for her letters and favorite calendar pictures. I don't think there is any more room left for the two calendars that she has on the wall at year's end.

[Marga]

I was drawn to your topic title immediately since I have been actively collecting Dance Magazines for the last 2 years. My acquisitions start at the beginning (I even have the very first issue) and comprise those from my own collection of 1960's mags I found in a closet at my mom's house, those purchased years ago for 25 cents each at a library sale, and the hundreds and hundreds I have won through ebay.

I will be setting up a comprehensive ballet library (including the hundreds of ebay-bought books, ballet programs and videos) in the new house we're moving to next month.

Dance Magazines are especially precious to me because they chronicle the history of dance throughout the last century. That there are several articles in old issues about many of my dance teachers and peers (and now even some of my daughter's) makes having them even more gratifying as they ignite my nostalgia.

Imagine having the evolution of the Balanchine era so readily available to read in a user-friendly format -- bios of dancers, reviews, even gossip!

I don't advocate becoming a packrat (especially since our family is presently shoveling out a house filled with 25½ years of the things that the 8 of us [okay -- it's really just hubby and me who are the hoarders] felt were essential enough to keep for decades), but I believe that keeping Dance Magazines will feed the soul of many young dancers of today when they've reached middle-age!

[Tiffany]

What a lovely idea, Marga, to set up a ballet library! I would love to do that sometime in the future (when I'm finished with school and have a 'real' job)! A ballet library would be the perfect place to store my collection of ballet magazines.

 

In my house that a real job's salary will pay for, I have always thought I would have one room just for all of my ballet pictures and books. It would be really nice if part of it could be a studio too, but that's a bit more difficult with the issue of type of floor, mirrors, etc. Sorry this is off topic

[tu2mama]

Now the next question?? Where and how do you store all of those tutus? The magazines are easy they barely take up the space of costumes. I was able to get rid of some of my daughter's romantic tutus I made for a high school dance program by recycling them into costumes for Waltz in the Nutcracker. Now we have classical tutus that are by far harder to store in my closet because her's is full of other various costumes. You just can't give them away! My daughter wore a 1950's coctail dress that I salvaged from my mother to prom last year. Oh how I wished that I had saved my prom dress that I made myself and do not have a picture of it. Just what do you save?