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| Year | Stories |
|---|---|
| 1859 | 1 |
| 1872 | 1 |
| 1876 | 2 |
| 1877 | 1 |
| 1883 | 1 |
| 1887 | 1 |
| 1889 | 4 |
| 1891 | 2 |
| 1892 | 1 |
| 1893 | 2 |
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| 1895 | 1 |
| 1903 | 2 |
| 1911 | 2 |
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| 1923 | 2 |
27 stories matching dancer
- A Grand Dedication at Codding Hall
The entire valley converged on White Bluffs to christen the town’s first modern amusement venue with a night of dancing and patriotic fervor.
- The Trial of the New Zealand Hall Dancers
A municipal court judge weighs in on the morality of a local lodging house, marking the ongoing crackdown on nightlife and 'bawdy' businesses in 1890s Seattle.
- The Great Impersonator: Vivian Takes Seattle by Storm
In August 1872, the 'Grammatical Comic Impersonator' Chas. Vivian captivated the Pacific Northwest with his vocal mimicry and costume changes, performing alongside a dancer from the Paris Opera.
- The Centennial That Saved Seattle: How 8,000 Souls Turned a Territorial Mist into a City
On July 4, 1876, despite being late to statehood and lacking federal funding, Seattle’s pioneers pulled off a spectacle of flags, steamers, and speeches that proved the town was here to stay.
- The Floor Gives Way: Panic and Death at Seattle’s Morris Opera House
A grand opening night turns into a nightmare when the second-story floor of the newly converted theater collapses into the stables below, killing several and injuring dozens in one of the city's earliest major disasters.
- Police vs. Proprietors: The First Dance Hall Bust
A Seattle dance hall proprietor is arrested after defying a new ordinance aimed at regulating local nightlife.
- The Lonely Life of the Seattle Bachelor
A local writer laments the lack of respectable social outlets for unmarried men, arguing that the city’s saloons and variety shows offer nothing but 'hardening influences.'
- The Ballad of the Hungry Dancers: How Seattle’s Laborers Turned a Formal Dance into a Food Fight
When the Sailors’ Union hosted its first annual ball at Turner’s Hall, the orchestra played waltzes with captions like 'I am Hungry' and 'We Eat.' The result was a legendary night of dancing, dining, and civic pride that defined Seattle’s working-class culture.
- The Town That Wouldn't Sleep: Snohomish’s Fourth of July Overflow
When the steamers arrived with guests from Seattle and upriver, two hotels couldn't hold them all. The town celebrated with a reading by a woman, a poem by a local man, and a boat ride that nearly capsized on the Skagit.
- The Walla Walla Carnival of 1903
Thousands flocked to the Stadium for a midsummer spectacle featuring live acts, exotic shows, and the coronation of a carnival queen.
- The Bid for the Main Line
Citizens in Dayton and Waitsburg launch a collaborative lobby effort to convince railroad officials to connect their town branches to the main regional transit artery.
- The Saloon Duel at Kalama
A dance floor dispute over a lady leads to a violent knife fight between an English athlete and a local man, leaving a town stunned by the sudden bloodshed.
- The McNamara Defense Ball
Everett labor unions crowd the dance floor to raise funds for a controversial national legal defense campaign.
- Seattle Newsboys Take Tacoma by Storm
A pack of Seattle newsboys descends on the Interstate Fair, jeers a non-union print shop, climbs the roofs, and eats Chilberg’s restaurant out of house and home.
- The Night Seattle Danced Until Two: A Steamer Excursion from Steilacoom
In July 1859, the steamer Julia carried Olympia and Steilacoom society across the Sound to Seattle, where three supper tables and a hall full of dancers made territorial news.
- When Seattle Society Turned Shakespeare Into a Skirt-Dance Spectacle
The Seattle Athletic Club packed Cordray's Theater for three nights with an all-local Shakespeare travesty, imported costumes, and a cameo from 'everybody' in society.
- A Night for the City's Bravest
Mayor Harwood presents silver trumpets to Seattle’s volunteer firemen in a night of ceremony and celebration.
- A Night of Masks and Revelry
Yakima’s firemen transform the opera house into a glittering masquerade, capturing the spirit of a frontier city at play.
- Firefighters Host Aberdeen's Grand Masquerade Ball
Youth and beauty, hobgoblins and nuns, all crowded the armory for a raucous night of revelry.
- Community Hall Hosts Record-Breaking Dance
A valley-wide celebration draws a crowd to Hanford, raising significant funds for land development.
- The McNamara Defense Fund Ball
Everett’s labor community gathers at a boisterous benefit dance to raise funds for the legal defense of the McNamara brothers.
- The Labor Temple's Growing Pains
A festive social evening at the Labor Temple reveals the success of local unions—and the urgent need for a larger headquarters.
- The 'Improved' Red Men and the Sioux Chief
A Seattle fraternal order debates the morality of posthumously 'improving' a legendary Indigenous leader.
- The Night a Gilded Age Mansion Lit the Road to Its Own Party
In 1894, Horace and Susan Henry welcomed nearly 200 guests to their new showpiece house above Lake Union—then sent them home by special streetcar under a private line of electric lights.
- The Night the City Forgot Lent: Seattle’s Elite Dance Until Dawn
While the rest of the city prepared for Ash Wednesday, Turner Hall hosted a 'select hop' that defied religious observance, featuring diamond-encrusted gowns and a feast that lasted until 3 a.m.
Also about this, in other words
- A Dance Hall Rescue
A young immigrant woman, alone and desperate, finds an unexpected protector in the unlikely setting of a Seattle dance house.
- The Endurance Dance of Black Diamond
A grueling contest at a local dance hall saw two partners waltz for over an hour and a half without a single break.
- The Seattle Lancers Prepare for Their Debut
A newly organized social club for the city's elite prepares to host their first formal dance series.
- The Child Who Danced for Pennies
A twelve-year-old runaway is arrested in a Seattle saloon while performing a wing dance to escape his father's abusive vaudeville routines.
- An Eccentric Prisoner's Optimistic Dance
A man awaiting sentencing in a local court baffles reporters by dancing a jig and promising a champagne celebration upon his release.
- The Art of the Stage Ballet in 1890s Seattle
San Francisco dance instructor L. Cook visits Cordray’s Theater to teach elaborate, avant-garde ballets to local girls.
- City Moves to Shut Down Dance Houses
A municipal judge rules against saloons operating dance halls, marking a turning point in the city's crackdown on 'lewd and lascivious' nightlife.
- A Free Vaudeville Show Was Meant to Fill the Madison Street Cars
Stockholders in the Madison Street cable road hired a company of performers for nightly free shows at the lake pavilion, hoping the crowds would ride the line.