* Lydia Joel; Former Editor of Dance Magazine

Lydia Joel, 77, former editor-in-chief of Dance Magazine and head of the dance department at New York City’s School of Performing Arts. She was named editor of Dance Magazine in 1952 and left in 1969. During her tenure the staff grew from four to 15 and the magazine--once read only by performers--began to appeal to a broader audience because of her emphasis on criticism, photographic essays and the status of dance throughout the world. She studied ballet at the School of American Ballet and modern dance with Harald Kreutzberg and Hanya Holm, two leading advocates of the German dance movement that emerged before World War II. At the Bennington (Vt.) School of Dance--known today as the American Dance Festival--she danced in the 1937 premiere of “Trend,” a landmark production dealing with social conflicts. Before joining Dance Magazine she taught at Texas Christian University and Southern Methodist University. In New York City on May 24 of the complications of leukemia.