Who's Who in Dancing, 1932

The year is 1932. Frederick Ashton is living in Earls Court and Anton Dolin ('will ere long be proclaimed the rival and successor of Nijinsky') in bohemian Chelsea. Ninette de Valois is hobnobbing with the Bloomsbury Group, while little Alicia Markova is exiled to North Kensington. Less illustrious figures are running dancing schools everywhere from Glasgow to Truro. Across the channel Serge Lifar ('who possesses an important collection of pictures by well-known artists connected with the ballet') is lording it at the Paris Opera, while Danilova and Balanchine are cohabiting in the 17th arrondissement. Harald Kreutzberg can be found in Hamburg, Rudolf Laban in Berlin, and Serge Grigorieff in Monte-Carlo. Back in Great Britain, The Casani School of Dancing will guarantee you a career as a Dancer or Hostess, earning Ł5 to Ł10 a week, after a series of 150 private lessons at a most reasonable cost, and D. Walter and Co will sell you an automatic revolving spotlight ('the most wonderful lighting effect ever produced') for a mere Ł5 15s 6d. You can ensure youthful natural contours when dancing with the aid of a Kestos Brassiere, and at 102 Charing Cross Road Princess Yvonne will furnish you with a set of rather risque photographs to further your career. As well as a long biographical section, the directory includes a list of dance associations round the world, details of stage dancing competitions and lists of the Dancing Times Cup winners and Ballroom Competition winners. It provides a fascinating glimpse of the dance world in days gone by.