P.W. Manchester (1907-1998). British dance critic and editor

P.W. (Phyllis Winifred, known as ‘Bill’) Manchester was born in London in 1907. She was an enthusiastic balletomane until 1941, when she became dance critic of the journal Theatre World. She then quickly wrote the book that made her name, Vic-Wells, A Ballet Progress. It became an immediate best seller, tapping into the popularity of Ninette de Valois’ company at the time, and bringing its development alive to the general public. In 1944, Manchester left Theatre World to become secretary to Marie Rambert, which gave her further insight into the world of dance and ballet. She left Rambert in 1946 to found the journal Ballet Today, in direct competition with and in contrast to Richard Buckle’s more controversial Ballet magazine. In 1951 she accepted an invitation from Anatole Chujoy to go to New York to work as co-editor of his Dance News. Initially it was for a year, but she stayed on indefinitely, as managing editor and chief critic, inheriting the magazine on Chujoy’s death in 1969. However, Manchester quickly sold up to become adjunct professor of Dance at the University of Cincinnati, a post she held until 1993. While in the United States of America she also acted as the dance critic for Christian Science Monitor, and, with Chujoy, worked on an expanded edition of his well-known Dance Encyclopaedia. She also became a highly regarded writer and broadcaster, noted for her love of baseball, as well as of ballet. P.W. Manchester died in Cincinnati in 1998.