William "Bill" Como (November 10, 1925 – January 1, 1989) was the
editor-in-chief
An editor-in-chief (EIC), also known as lead editor or chief editor, is a publication's editorial leader who has final responsibility for its operations and policies.
The highest-ranking editor of a publication may also be titled editor, managing ...
of ''
Dance Magazine
''Dance Magazine'' is an American trade publication for dance published by the Macfadden Communications Group. It was first published in June 1927 as ''The American Dancer''. ''Dance Magazine'' has multiple sister publications, including ''Pointe' ...
'' during the period of 1970–1988, when it was "the publication of record", crucial for linking many developments in dance into "a dance world", through culturally-burgeoning decades that rank among the most important theater-arts epochs of the twentieth century.
Biography
William Como, born in
Williamstown, Massachusetts
Williamstown is a town in the northern part of Berkshire County, in the northwest corner of Massachusetts, United States. It shares a border with Vermont to the north and New York to the west. It is part of the Pittsfield, Massachusetts Metropolit ...
, was drafted into the US army, straight from high school, at age eighteen, to serve in the Philippines during World War II. On his release from service in 1945, he enrolled at the
American Academy of Dramatic Arts
The American Academy of Dramatic Arts (AADA) is a private performing arts conservatory with two locations, one in Manhattan and one in Los Angeles. The academy offers an associate degree in occupational studies and teaches drama and related art ...
in New York City. From 1948 to 1953 he worked as a model, dancer and actor in New York and California, but in 1953 left his contracts for personal reasons, finding employment as a “gofer” for ''
Dance Magazine
''Dance Magazine'' is an American trade publication for dance published by the Macfadden Communications Group. It was first published in June 1927 as ''The American Dancer''. ''Dance Magazine'' has multiple sister publications, including ''Pointe' ...
'', at $60/week. Associate publisher
Jean Gordon
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* Jean (female given name)
* Jean (male given name)
* Jean (surname)
Fictional characters
* Jean Grey, a Marvel Comics character
* Jean Valjean, fictional character in novel ''Les Misérables'' and its adaptations
* J ...
soon recognized his potential, and promoted him to sales manager in 1954, then to advertising manager and assistant to the publisher: posts he held from 1961 to 1969. In May 1968 Como also became, for eleven years, Editor-in-Chief of ''
After Dark'', a NYC entertainment magazine, which he developed from ''Ballroom Dance Magazine''. With the owner of ''Dance Magazine'', Rudolph Orthwine's, passing, and Gordon's assuming ownership, in late 1969 Como succeeded Lydia Joel as Editor-in-Chief, joined by Managing Editor
Richard Philp
Richard is a male given name. It originates, via Old French, from Frankish language, Old Frankish and is a Compound (linguistics), compound of the words descending from Proto-Germanic language, Proto-Germanic ''*rīk-'' 'ruler, leader, king' an ...
, in ''Dance''s small office on West 42d Street. Under Jean Gordon's and Bill Como's command the magazine soon grew in importance, becoming the main national source of information linking the dance world—and, through its growing influence, a forceful shaper of that world nationally and internationally, as it championed small and regional dance companies. Como was involved in other initiatives for promoting excellence in, and appreciation of, ballet in the United States. Along with Walter Terry (see
Modern dance
Modern dance is a broad genre of western concert or theatrical dance which included dance styles such as ballet, folk, ethnic, religious, and social dancing; and primarily arose out of Europe and the United States in the late 19th and early 20th ...
) and others, Como was one of the founders, in 1979, of the
USA International Ballet Competition The USA International Ballet Competition, or USA IBC, is one of the world's top competitions for ballet. Located in Jackson, Mississippi, this competition is attended by dancers from all over the world to represent their country for bronze, silver, ...
in Jackson, Mississippi, held every four years.
With the assistance of Philp and with
Herbert Migdoll
Herbert Migdoll (born 1944) is an American painter, environmental installation artist and photographer, who, since 1968, has served as the company photographer for The Joffrey Ballet, and later its design director. His work has been featured on t ...
’s designs, Como introduced a distinguishing feature to ''Dance Magazine'': a separate monthly Portfolio, printed on heavy stock paper, dedicated to prominent people in the dance world, historical repertoire, events and institutions. Many of these are, in effect, condensed monographs, of permanent research value. He wrote a regular one-page "Editor's Notes" column for the magazine and published articles and introductions to books. In later years he had a weekly half-hour "Performance Today" program with National Public Radio. Bill Como did not live to write his planned autobiography, which, given his great sociability and his publishing positions, would have provided a lively and informative window on an important epoch in the history of theater arts.
William Como died in hospital of late-diagnosed lung cancer on January 1, 1989,
toward the end nursed by Raoul Gelabert. Presumably it was during this time that Gelabert told ''Anatomy for the Dance'' to Como. A "William Como ''Dance Magazine'' Scholarship", awarded yearly, has been established.
Writings
*''Raoul Gelabert's Anatomy for the Dance: With exercises to improve technique and prevent injuries. As told to William Como''. New York: Danab Publishing Co., 2 vol. 1964, 1966
*''The Essence of Béjart''. Danab Publishing Co., 1972
*''Nureyev''. New York: Danab Publishing Co., 1973 (small, well-illustrated fascicule)
*''Margot Fonteyn''. New York: Danab Publishing Co., 1973
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Como, William
1925 births
1989 deaths
People from Williamstown, Massachusetts
American magazine editors
20th-century American journalists
American male journalists
Journalists from Massachusetts
Male journalists
American male dancers
Dancers from Massachusetts
Male models from Massachusetts
20th-century American male actors
Male actors from Massachusetts
Deaths from lung cancer in New York (state)
20th-century American dancers