MERTZ, Annelise

PERSONAL:

Female. Born in Berlin, Germany; immigrated to the United States, 1955; naturalized U.S. citizen; daughter of Kurt (an executive director) and Frida (Sparr) Mertz. Education: Studied dance at Folkwang School; earned European equivalent of M.F.A. Hobbies and other interests: The arts (including architecture and design, costumes, and furniture).

ADDRESSES:

Home—230 South Brentwood Blvd., No. 15F, St. Louis, MO 63105.

CAREER:

Washington University, St. Louis, MO, professor of dance and founder and director of dance division, 1957-90, professor emeritus, 1990—, and past artistic director of Washington University Dance Theater. Professional dancer in Germany, including performances at State Opera in Berlin, and appearances elsewhere in Germany and throughout Europe; choreographer of about forty contemporary dance pieces. St. Louis Dancers, founder and past artistic director; Dance St. Louis, founder, past president, and past member of board of directors; teacher of master classes in dance in the United States and Europe.

AWARDS, HONORS:

Arts and Education Award, Missouri Arts and Education Council; Art Leadership Award, Young Women's Christian Association; the dance studio at Washington University was named in her honor, 2001.

WRITINGS:

(Editor and contributor) The Body Can Speak: Essays on Creative Movement Education with Emphasis on Dance and Drama, Southern Illinois University Press (Carbondale, IL), 2002.

SIDELIGHTS:

Annelise Mertz told CA: "I never considered myself a writer, but a professional choreographer who has published works of contemporary dance, an American art form the public does not know very much about.

"This is exactly my reason for publishing The Body Can Speak: Essays on Creative Movement Education with Emphasis on Dance and Drama. It deals with creative movement education, the most neglected subject in our schools, Most of the contributors to the volume are not professional writers, but are experienced teachers and artists who felt, like me, the great lack of knowledge among the public. We need much more written on this subject."