The archive of Dancing Times, which ceased publication in September 2022 following 112 years in print, is now at the Royal Academy of Dance’s headquarters in Wandsworth.
Dancing Times was Britain’s oldest monthly dance magazine, purchased in 1910 by Philip Richardson, who founded The Association of Teachers of Operatic Dancing of Great Britain (later the Royal Academy of Dance) in 1920.
With support from The Linbury Trust, RAD has acquired the Dancing Times photographic collection, comprising approximately 38,000 prints, spanning the period c1920 to 2000, making it one of the largest collections of 20th century dance in the world.
Tim Arthur, Chief Executive of RAD, said, “not only was the Dancing Times pivotal in the creation of our organisation, it was a much-loved magazine that provided vital discourse around our art form. We are very touched that Dancing Times has entrusted us with its beautiful collection, which we will proudly house in the Wolfson Library and RAD Archive here in Wandsworth, London.”
The collection includes photographs of productions of classics such as Swan Lake, The Sleeping Beauty, Coppélia and The Nutcracker, past and present dance icons such as Fred Astaire, Alvin Ailey, Margot Fonteyn, Carlos Acosta and Darcey Bussell and national and international dance competitions and dance schools, as well as complete bound sets of Dancing Times and Ballroom Dancing Times (later Dance Today).
A full catalogue is expected to take two years to complete.