He dedicated the work to his friend Iosif Shvarts, a fellow pianist and pupil in the class of Leonid Nikolayev, who esteemed him as one of his best students.

Shostakovich himself admired Shvarts' playing and said he was "fascinated by his fine polish, meticulous penetration of the composer's wishes, and excellent technique.

Hans Sikorski Musikverlage, which publishes Shostakovich's music, lists March 20, 1923, at the Small Hall of the Petrograd Conservatory as the premiere date and location.

[1] Andrei Kryukov wrote that according to the conservatory's records, the premiere took place on July 31, 1922, as part of a series of Monday evening concerts of new music presented at the State Institute of the History of Art [ru] in Petrograd.

[4] According to Yuri Tyulin [ru], the Three Fantastic Dances "amazed [Shostakovich's fellow students] with their freshness, originality, and mature mastery.

"[5] Later in 1923, Shostakovich collaborated on a choreographic treatment of the music with Mariya Ponna, a champion swimmer turned dancer, and Kasyan Goleizovsky.

According to Nikolai Myaskovsky, one of the board's members, told Steinberg that Shostakovich's music and playing "drew near-unanimous protests" from the editors.

By February 9, he reported that the board had "radically changed" their opinions and accepted the Three Fantastic Dances, Two Pieces for String Octet, and the First Symphony for publication "despite their occasional mawkishness."