31 Facts About Harald Kreutzberg

Harald Kreutzberg was a German dancer and choreographer associated with the Ausdruckstanz movement, a form in which the individual, artistic expression of feelings or emotions is essential.

Harald Kreutzberg's mother encouraged his penchant for play-acting and theatricality.

Harald Kreutzberg attended the Academy of Applied Art in Dresden; he was reportedly an excellent draftsman.

From an early age, Harald Kreutzberg was interested in costuming and style.

Harald Kreutzberg trained at the Dresden Ballet School and studied with the founders of Ausdruckstanz, Mary Wigman and Rudolf von Laban.

In 1926, Harald Kreutzberg appeared as Fear in the ballet Die Nachtlichen.

The opera costume shop had trouble making a bald wig, so Harald Kreutzberg shaved off all of his blond hair.

Harald Kreutzberg's appearance made such a strong impression on audiences, he maintained the signature look for the rest of his life.

When he returned to Hannover in 1928, Harald Kreutzberg collaborated with Wilckens and Yvonne Georgi, a former student of von Laban, on a grotesque pantomime, Robes, Pierre and Co.

Georgi and Harald Kreutzberg's programs consisted of solos by both performers interspersed with duets.

Georgi and Harald Kreutzberg wore glowing white costumes as they moved slowly and mournfully through the dark space.

Mr Harald Kreutzberg combines a grave and incisive intelligence with a powerful gift of projection, a clear vision with a lively imagination, and all of these with a splendid physique and a technical facility which is actually lustrous.

Harald Kreutzberg gained access to new performance venues and an escape from rising fascism and homophobic militancy at home.

Harald Kreutzberg retained his usual repertoire of solos and refashioned his dances with Georgi to fit Page.

Page wrote Harald Kreutzberg's eulogy, published in Dance Magazine in 1968.

Harald Kreutzberg was one of a handful of dancers who maintained a good relationship with the Ministry of Propaganda.

Harald Kreutzberg understood what role to play so he could continue dancing.

Harald Kreutzberg reached the peak of his career during World War II.

News of Harald Kreutzberg's recitals were deployed in different media for propaganda purposes.

Harald Kreutzberg's solo followed, ending with the dancer's heroic death by sword.

Harald Kreutzberg leads, but does not acknowledge, the mesmerized tavern patrons who follow his display of confused distress and an energy that swings between manic and sickly.

In 1944, Harald Kreutzberg was drafted into the German Army, but Americans soon captured him on the Italian front.

Harald Kreutzberg spent two and half months in a prisoner of war camp.

Harald Kreutzberg performed solos in the US in the early 30s, and again in 1937,1947,1948 and 1953.

Postwar, Harald Kreutzberg maintained his status as the doyen of German modern dance.

Harald Kreutzberg was the first German artist to go on foreign tours, performing in the US, South America and Israel in 1948.

Harald Kreutzberg made a rare US TV appearance in the 1960s, when he was featured in the dual roles of Drosselmeyer and the Snow King, in a heavily abridged West German-American production of The Nutcracker.

Early in his career, Harald Kreutzberg aligned himself to an expressionistic approach to dance.

Harald Kreutzberg remained faithful to that aesthetic until the end of his life.

Harald Kreutzberg was one of the most esteemed and highly paid artists in Nazi Germany despite being homosexual and despite the fact he unabashedly presented gender bending modern work.

Harald Kreutzberg incorporated feminine movements and costuming in his performances and challenged the stereotypical male roles of princes and mythical gods.