May not strictly be musical theatre but this magazine - Dancing Times - is about dance...in case you hadn't worked that out. So it does cover one aspect of musical theatre.
The history - Amazingly, it was first published in 1894! It was originally published as the house magazine for the ballroom establishment Cavendish Rooms which is in London. However, in 1910 it was brought out by two men who developed and turned it into a national magazine and has had a huge impact on the world of dance. In 1962 dancing times turned into a4 size as it remains today and an a5 magazine called 'Dance Today' was spun-off and named its sister magazine. Dance Today is purely about ballroom, where the original idea begun whereas Dancing Times covers all styles, though predominantly about ballet it would seem.
The history - Amazingly, it was first published in 1894! It was originally published as the house magazine for the ballroom establishment Cavendish Rooms which is in London. However, in 1910 it was brought out by two men who developed and turned it into a national magazine and has had a huge impact on the world of dance. In 1962 dancing times turned into a4 size as it remains today and an a5 magazine called 'Dance Today' was spun-off and named its sister magazine. Dance Today is purely about ballroom, where the original idea begun whereas Dancing Times covers all styles, though predominantly about ballet it would seem.
The particular issue I have is priced at £2.95 however on the internet it is announced that the new issues will be 'begrudgingly' priced at £3.15. It is a monthly magazine and I am going to analyse the Fe
b '11 issue.
b '11 issue.Here is the front cover. It is conventional and it is all actually light blue and white, apart from the black background of course. All these colours work well with each other and compliment each other. In the title of the magazine the word Dancing is in italics and is bold which emphasises the word, thus making the genre stand out. As you can see, just below the name is the issue reference and price, to the right side there is a tagline stating that it is 'Britain's leading dance monthly' and the website address. This tagline would actually help in persuading someone to purchase as it gives it dominance over the market and hints that it is the best. The use of the word 'leading' is a bit of a pun really as, especially in ballroom dancing the word is used as 'the male leads'. The image is, well, quite stunning. It is a longshot of Erina Takahashi who is a member of the English National Ballet, performing a classical ballet movement. The magazine features a 4-page spread of an interview with her. As I've mentioned before, it seems to be mainly ballet, this image will therefore appeal to its audience. The light colours of her leotard, tights, and pointe shoes stand out against the black back-drop. The text surrounding the picture is fairly large and because of the colours, it also stands out from the background. A majority of the text is bold to grab the reader's attention and also most is in capitals. In the bottom right corner the word 'WIN!' is in capital letters which also works as a selling point. Although it is not in this image, in the very bottom right corner there is the bar code with the phrase 'Sister to Dance Today' above it, advertising that magazine also.
The contents page still conforms to the blue+white colour scheme with some black ink. It is professionally organised with subheading splitting up the contents - Features and Regulars
- both of which are bold to stand out. Whilst this is a good idea, easy to find what you're looking for, it is not in order and so the contents jumps about which can be frustrating. The features section (Top left) has a pale blue background so that is stands out and the section includes a picture which is later used in one of the feature articles. All of the page numbers are bold to stand out and in the feature section they are all black but in the regulars section they are multi-coloured, following no pattern. The titles of all the pages are also in bold and of a bigger font to stand out. Within the short descriptions of what is on the pages, the names of the people it features are in bold. This is a good idea as it allows the reader to see quickly what they might be interested in. In the top right there is the blue heading 'On the cover' and a smaller copy of the image from the front cover, just below this there is the name of the dancer, the dance it is taken from, the choreographer of the dance and the photographer of the picture. This makes it very informative and professional. In the regulars section there is a turquoise box featuring three more article information as well as a picture. This box is titled 'IntoDance' which I think appeals to a certain audience and it seems to be a slight gossip section as it delves into peoples lives as well as including 'Your Page' for the reader to get involved.
- both of which are bold to stand out. Whilst this is a good idea, easy to find what you're looking for, it is not in order and so the contents jumps about which can be frustrating. The features section (Top left) has a pale blue background so that is stands out and the section includes a picture which is later used in one of the feature articles. All of the page numbers are bold to stand out and in the feature section they are all black but in the regulars section they are multi-coloured, following no pattern. The titles of all the pages are also in bold and of a bigger font to stand out. Within the short descriptions of what is on the pages, the names of the people it features are in bold. This is a good idea as it allows the reader to see quickly what they might be interested in. In the top right there is the blue heading 'On the cover' and a smaller copy of the image from the front cover, just below this there is the name of the dancer, the dance it is taken from, the choreographer of the dance and the photographer of the picture. This makes it very informative and professional. In the regulars section there is a turquoise box featuring three more article information as well as a picture. This box is titled 'IntoDance' which I think appeals to a certain audience and it seems to be a slight gossip section as it delves into peoples lives as well as including 'Your Page' for the reader to get involved.This is pages 36-37 of the magazine and I have chosen to look at this page spread as it shows world dance. The left-hand page is an advert for a competition in Beijing. The writing at the bottom of the advert is both in English and Chinese which keeps the location known as well as appealing to an audience of Chinese ethnicity and those who also enjoy travel. The red and white on the blue background stand out as well as the r
ed being the colour of the countries flag. The image is a series of white lines making up a simple image of a dancer in a tutu. This image is original and effective especially as the background colour has a section which is lighter, coming from the dancers head. The right-hand page is an article about 'how ballet is soothing the current economic crisis in Greece'. The layout is professional and typical of magazines/newspapers with a large picture at the top, large title, subheading, first paragraph in bold and the text arranged into columns. The article still follows the house-style, meaning the magazine is flowing and continuous throughout. The article does actually go on to a second page and it is very informative. Its purpose is not to entertain but it gives a lot of facts and information to the reader in a formal way. Both images have strips of navy blue at the top and bottom, separating them nicely, they also both have the photographer and where is was taken in white. Like the contents page, in the sub-heading the name of the writer is again in bold. At the bottom of every page it says the magazine title, issue and page number in light grey, italics. For example, this particular page says 'Dancing Times\February 2011\37'. This is an excellent idea as it makes navigating around the magazine easy.
ed being the colour of the countries flag. The image is a series of white lines making up a simple image of a dancer in a tutu. This image is original and effective especially as the background colour has a section which is lighter, coming from the dancers head. The right-hand page is an article about 'how ballet is soothing the current economic crisis in Greece'. The layout is professional and typical of magazines/newspapers with a large picture at the top, large title, subheading, first paragraph in bold and the text arranged into columns. The article still follows the house-style, meaning the magazine is flowing and continuous throughout. The article does actually go on to a second page and it is very informative. Its purpose is not to entertain but it gives a lot of facts and information to the reader in a formal way. Both images have strips of navy blue at the top and bottom, separating them nicely, they also both have the photographer and where is was taken in white. Like the contents page, in the sub-heading the name of the writer is again in bold. At the bottom of every page it says the magazine title, issue and page number in light grey, italics. For example, this particular page says 'Dancing Times\February 2011\37'. This is an excellent idea as it makes navigating around the magazine easy.All in all - a good informative, professional magazine.
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