Annelise Löffler

Born in Münster, Löffler's childhood and youth were overshadowed by two tragic events: her mother died very early and in 1933 also quite unexpectedly her father, Klemens Löffler [de], the founding director of the Universitäts- und Stadtbibliothek Köln [de].

In the 1930s, Löffler first worked as a translator; in 1946, she was employed as a laboratory assistant and photographer at the "Bild- und Filmberichterstattung Walter H. Schmitt" in Cologne and made numerous stage recordings during this time.

She photographed personalities of the dance world of the time including: Alvin Ailey, Sonia Arova, Gerhard Bohner [de], Trisha Brown, Christopher Bruce, Nina Corti, Anton Dolin, Louis Falco, Gus Giordano, Tatjana Gsovsky, Melissa Hayden, Rosella Hightower Kurt Jooss, Henning Kronstam, Pearl Lang, Hans van Manen, Matt Mattox, Samy Molcho, George Skibine, Marjorie Tallchief, Glen Tetley, Antony Tudor, José de Udaeta, and Yuriko.

To this end, she also photographed the choreographic competitions in Cologne, where among others Reinhild Hoffmann, Susanne Linke, Krisztina Horvath, Marilén Breuker, Eiko and Koma and James Saunders presented their early(ste)n own choreographies to the public.

Countless reprints in specialist books, dance magazines and ballet calendars attest to her work.