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Birth
Mary was born on November 13, 1886 in Hannover, Germany in a bourgeois family. She received her secondary education from the schools in Germany, England, and Switzerland -
Enrollment in Dance
In 1911, Mary developed a keen liking towards dancing and decided to become an expressive choreographer. She enrolled in the Jaques-Dalcroze's school in Dresden-Hellerau. However, Wigman felt uncomfortable when she was instructed to perform as her predefined norms only. -
Traveled to Switzerland for summer courses
In 1913, she traveled to Ascona, Switzerland to register for the summer course given by Rudolf von Laban, one of the pioneers of modern dance in Europe. She attended the summer and winter sessions in the Laban School for the next few years, also serving as Laban’s assistant for a brief period of time. -
Nervous Breakdown & First Group Composition
In 1918, she experienced a nervous breakdown and while recovering from it, she choreographed her first group composition, 'Witch Dance', which cemented her dance style and paved her way for a successful career. -
Developed a unique style of dance
In 1919, she left the Laban School and secluded herself to develop a unique style of dancing—movements which are independent of any musical notes and are capable enough to communicate with the audiences directly. She called this dance style ‘New German Dance’, which was able to express human emotions. -
First Professional Solo Concert
In 1919, she conducted her first professional solo concert in Berlin, followed by performances in Breman and Hanover. Although these shows did not receive positive acclaim, she continued to perform and was finally able to receive appreciation for her works in Hamburg. -
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The "Mary Wigman-Schule" Existence
Her school operated until 1942 when the Nazi authorities considered her to be a leftist and her dances to be decadent. They closed down her school but when she obeyed the government rule and fired all the Jewish dancers from her schools in Germany, Nazis permitted her to teach in Leipzig during World War II. Her last work as a soloist was ‘The Dance of Niobe’ (1942), in which she danced the title role. -
Opened Own Dance School
In 1920, she opened her own dance school ‘Dresden Central School’ in Dresden. She taught expressionist dance form to her students and experimented with choreography.Some of her pupils were Hanya Holm, Yvonne Georgi, Gret Palucca and Harald Kreutzberg. -
Her Dance Troupe's First Dance Performance
In 1923, her dance troupe gave its first dance performance and she conducted international tours with them in the later years. -
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First Trip to U.K. & America
In 1928, Mary made her first trip to U.K. followed by a tour to America in 1930. -
Worked as an Innovative Choreographer
In the 1930s, her works as an innovative choreographer became an inspiration for communist dance troupes in America. At the same time, she was officially honored by the German government for her significant contributions. -
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Two More Tours of the U.S.
Between 1931 and 1933, she conducted two more tours of the U.S. -
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Her Dance School Spread All Over Germany
During this time branches of her dance school spread all over Germany. One of her students, Hanya Hola, helped in the establishment of modern dance schools in America too. In addition to it, educational authorities also prescribed her dance training for the public schools. -
Taught in Leipzig
Wigman taught again in Leipzig in 1948. -
Fled to West Berlin
Even after the Second World War ended, she continued teaching at Leipzig for next few years. In 1949, she fled to West Berlin where she opened a school and also took up the job as a guest choreographer. -
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Taught in West Berlin
From 1950 until her death in 1973, she taught at a studio in West Berlin, where Susanne Linke was among her students. -
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Her Most Important Productions
Some of her most important productions for German opera houses included Handel's ‘Saul’ (Mannheim, 1954), Orff's ‘Carmina Burana’ (Mannheim, 1955), and Stravinsky's ‘Sacre du Printemps’ (Municipal Opera, Berlin Festival, 1957). -
Death
On September 18, 1973, Mary died in West Berlin, West Germany, at the age of 86.
