Hendrina Cornelia (Corrie) Hartong (23 February 1906 – 9 August 1991) was a dancer, dance teacher and choreographer in the

Netherlands ) , anthem = ( en, "William of Nassau") , image_map = , map_caption = , subdivision_type = Sovereign state , subdivision_name = Kingdom of the Netherlands , established_title = Before independence , established_date = Spanish Netherl ...

Biography

Hendrina Cornelia Hartong was born in Rotterdam on 23 February 1906. She studied modern dance with

Mary Wigman Mary Wigman (born Karoline Sophie Marie Wiegmann; 13 November 1886 – 18 September 1973) was a German dancer and choreographer, notable as the pioneer of expressionist dance, dance therapy, and movement training without pointe shoes. She is con ...

in Dresden. Mary Wigman's '' Ausdruckstanz'' expressionist modern dance style inspired Corrie Hartong and others to start their own dance schools and to develop performances themselves. Between 1928 and 1931 she taught in Chemnitz and

Magdeburg Magdeburg (; nds, label=Low Saxon, Meideborg ) is the capital and second-largest city of the German state Saxony-Anhalt. The city is situated at the Elbe river. Otto I, the first Holy Roman Emperor and founder of the Archdiocese of Magdebu ...

. She then returned to Rotterdam to teach. In 1931 Hartong set up the Rotterdam School of Dance along with the German dancer and teacher Gertrud Leistikow, who was 21 years older. The two disagreed over objectives, and after three years Leistikow left. In 1935 the dance school became part of the Rotterdam Conservatory under Willem Pijper, with Hartong as director. She was to remain in this position until 1967. She initiated creation of the dance library to the Amsterdam Theater Instituut Nederland.

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposing ...

broke out in 1939 and the Netherlands were invaded in May 1940. On 14 May 1940 the buildings of the dance school and the main building of the conservatory were destroyed by bombs, and it was decided to merge the two conservatories in one building on the Mathenesserlaan, where the music school had a branch. Soon they moved again to a big old house that had somehow been spared, totally surrounded by rubble, and managed to continue day classes and early evening classes before curfew throughout the remainder of the war. After the war ended in 1945 she held several administrative positions. In 1946 she was co-founder of the Dutch Association of Dance Artists, and for seven years was chairman. Corrie Hartong died in Rotterdam on 9 August 1991 at the age of 86.

Legacy

The Corrie Hartong Fonds is named in her memory. The fund awards an annual scholarship to exceptionally talented students at

Codarts Codarts University for the Arts ( nl, Codarts hogeschool voor de kunsten) is a Dutch vocational university in Rotterdam that teaches music, dance and circus. It was established in its present location in 2000. History Codarts can trace its origin ...

. Two former students of the

Havo voor Muziek en Dans (School for Music and Dance) formerly is a secondary school (havo) in Rotterdam, Netherlands that specializes in music and dance. It has about 200 pupils from all parts of the country. The shares a building and music and dance teachers with Co ...

, a secondary school co-located with Codarts with a special focus on music and dance, received a Corrie Hartong scholarship for the 2011-2012 academic year. Joris Bergmans was funded for an internship at Introdans in

Arnhem Arnhem ( or ; german: Arnheim; South Guelderish: ''Èrnem'') is a city and municipality situated in the eastern part of the Netherlands about 55 km south east of Utrecht. It is the capital of the province of Gelderland, located on both ban ...

and Christopher Renfurm for a stint at

Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater The Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater (AAADT) is a modern dance company based in New York City. It was founded in 1958 by choreographer and dancer Alvin Ailey. It is made up of 32 dancers, led by artistic director Robert Battle and associate ...

New York City New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the most densely populated major city in the Un ...

Bibliography

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References

;Notes ;Citations {{DEFAULTSORT:Hartong, Corrie 1906 births 1991 deaths Dutch choreographers Dutch female dancers Entertainers from Rotterdam Codarts University for the Arts alumni