Inge Weiss (born 1923) is a German–American dancer[1] and choreographer. She danced with Mary Wigman, one of the early pioneers of modern dance. She retired from Stanford University in the 1990s.

Inge Weiss
Born1923 (1923)
Hanover, Germany
NationalityGerman Jewish
Occupation(s)Dancer, Choreographer
Children1

Early life edit

Weiss was born in Hanover, Germany in 1923. Her mother was born in Germany while her father, born in Warta, Poland, worked in Germany manufacturing men's clothing. She has a Jewish education and her family were active in the Jewish community.[2]

World War II edit

In October 1938, her family were deported to Poland, ending up in Spoczynek living with relatives in crowded stables. Her family were then deported to Kraków and lived in poor conditions until 1941. In 1944, she was deported to Auschwitz and then on to Bergen-Belsen in September 1944, where she got a job distributing bread as she was able to speak German. During her time in the camp, she contracted typhoid prior to liberation, where she then recovered in the German officers' quarters before returning to Hannover in 1946.[2]

Post war edit

In 1947, she got married and gave birth to a son in 1948. She moved to the United States in September 1949, settling in Cleveland, Ohio.[2]

References edit

  1. ^ "Modern Dance". Ballet today, Volume 12. 1959. p. cxxxii. Retrieved 19 June 2011.
  2. ^ a b c "Oral history interview with Inge Weiss". United States Holocaust Memorial Museum. 24 August 1984. Retrieved 8 November 2021.