Hilde Holger
Encyclopedia
Hilde Boman-Behram (1905–2001), better known by her stage name Hilde Holger, was an Austro-Hungarian-born
British
expressionist
dancer, choreographer, teacher, and educator, who was trained by Gertrud Bodenwieser in Vienna
. She was highly acclaimed, well known throughout Vienna’s flourishing artistic circles during the 1920s and 1930s. At an early age, while still touring, she had developed a dedication towards teaching and in 1926 had opened the successful New School of Movement Arts in Palais Ratibor, right in the heart of Vienna. Upon the Nazi annexation of Austria
in 1938, Holger was forbidden to perform or work. In 1939 with the help of a friend, Charles Petrach, she was able to escape the country within a day's notice. The Holocaust
claimed fourteen members of her family, including her mother, stepfather and sister.
Holger took refuge in India, a country that she described herself as "being of most attraction to Western artists". She wasted no time absorbing new influences on her work, particularly paying close attention to studying Indian hand movements - some 300 of them. She reopened her School for Art and Modern movement in Bombay
which became an immediate success; however in 1948 the political upheavals that took place in the wake of partition
forced her to move once again - this time to London
.
In London, Holger continued to develop her art for the next fifty years till her death in 2001; but probably her proudest achievement was pioneering work which included those with mental
and physical diasabilities
in her performances, as early as the 1960s.
Austria-Hungary
Austria-Hungary , more formally known as the Kingdoms and Lands Represented in the Imperial Council and the Lands of the Holy Hungarian Crown of Saint Stephen, was a constitutional monarchic union between the crowns of the Austrian Empire and the Kingdom of Hungary in...
British
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
expressionist
Expressionist dance
Expressionist dance is a European dance form that is part of the German Expressionist movement. Although considered a part of the modern dance movement, it is separate from modern dance per se. Other names for it that have fallen out of use include Moderner Tanz, Absoluter Tanz, Freier Tanz,...
dancer, choreographer, teacher, and educator, who was trained by Gertrud Bodenwieser in Vienna
Vienna
Vienna is the capital and largest city of the Republic of Austria and one of the nine states of Austria. Vienna is Austria's primary city, with a population of about 1.723 million , and is by far the largest city in Austria, as well as its cultural, economic, and political centre...
. She was highly acclaimed, well known throughout Vienna’s flourishing artistic circles during the 1920s and 1930s. At an early age, while still touring, she had developed a dedication towards teaching and in 1926 had opened the successful New School of Movement Arts in Palais Ratibor, right in the heart of Vienna. Upon the Nazi annexation of Austria
Anschluss
The Anschluss , also known as the ', was the occupation and annexation of Austria into Nazi Germany in 1938....
in 1938, Holger was forbidden to perform or work. In 1939 with the help of a friend, Charles Petrach, she was able to escape the country within a day's notice. The Holocaust
The Holocaust
The Holocaust , also known as the Shoah , was the genocide of approximately six million European Jews and millions of others during World War II, a programme of systematic state-sponsored murder by Nazi...
claimed fourteen members of her family, including her mother, stepfather and sister.
Holger took refuge in India, a country that she described herself as "being of most attraction to Western artists". She wasted no time absorbing new influences on her work, particularly paying close attention to studying Indian hand movements - some 300 of them. She reopened her School for Art and Modern movement in Bombay
Mumbai
Mumbai , formerly known as Bombay in English, is the capital of the Indian state of Maharashtra. It is the most populous city in India, and the fourth most populous city in the world, with a total metropolitan area population of approximately 20.5 million...
which became an immediate success; however in 1948 the political upheavals that took place in the wake of partition
Partition of India
The Partition of India was the partition of British India on the basis of religious demographics that led to the creation of the sovereign states of the Dominion of Pakistan and the Union of India on 14 and 15...
forced her to move once again - this time to London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
.
In London, Holger continued to develop her art for the next fifty years till her death in 2001; but probably her proudest achievement was pioneering work which included those with mental
Learning disability
Learning disability is a classification including several disorders in which a person has difficulty learning in a typical manner, usually caused by an unknown factor or factors...
and physical diasabilities
Disability
A disability may be physical, cognitive, mental, sensory, emotional, developmental or some combination of these.Many people would rather be referred to as a person with a disability instead of handicapped...
in her performances, as early as the 1960s.