Lotte Berk
Lotte Berk | |
|---|---|
| Born | Lieselotte Heymansohn 13 January 1913 Cologne, Germany |
| Died | 4 November 2003 (aged 90) Froxfield, Wiltshire, England |
| Other names | Lieselotte Berk |
| Occupation(s) | Dancer, fitness trainer and teacher |
Lieselotte "Lotte" Berk (13 January 1913 – 4 November 2003) was a German-born dancer and teacher, who lived in England from 1938. In 1959, she developed her own method of exercise, drawing on ballet moves and positions, that concentrated on the idea of building "core stability". In the 21st century, derivatives of her method are offered by gyms and studios as
Biography
Lotte Berk was born Lieselotte Heymansohn on 13 January 1913, in Cologne, Germany, to a German mother and Russian-born father, both of whom were Jewish.[1] Her mother died of a stroke when Lotte was aged eight; her father, Nicolai Heymansohn, had been a tailor and owned a chain of menswear shops.[2]
She initially studied the piano for 11 years, according to her father's wishes, but she preferred dancing and went on to train under modern dance pioneer Mary Wigman.[2] At 18, Lotte was dancing with prominent companies, for famous choreographers and conductors including Carl Ebert, Bruno Walter and Fritz Busch, and at such events as the Salzburg Festival in Austria.[2]
In 1933, she married a fellow dancer, Ernst Berk, and their daughter Esther was born the following year., the Lotte Berk method concentrates on targeting specific areas for strength and flexibility training.
In 1959, at the age of 46, Berk opened a women-only exercise studio in London: the Manchester Street Studio for Exercise.
In her forties she moved in with a painter, with the permission of her husband, who suggested that she do so for two years, after which he would take her back. At the age of 50, her 30-year marriage came to an end. She married again; the second marriage lasted three weeks.
Berk continued to teach her method of exercise well into her 80s. Her clients included Joan Collins, Britt Ekland, Barbra Streisand, Siân Phillips, Edna O'Brien and Yasmin Le Bon.
Berk died aged 90 on 4 November 2003 at the Brendoncare Foundation,
Books
- Lotte Berk Method of Exercise (with Jean Prince), ISBN 978-0704332188
- The Lotte Berk Method, Natural Journeys, 2003. ISBN 978-1585659814
References
- ^ Julie Welch, "Lotte Berk" (obituary), The Guardian, 8 November 2003.
- ^ Oxford Dictionary of National Biography, Oxford University Press, January 2007.
- ^ "Lottle Berk", The Telegraph, 7 November 2003.
- ^ Judith Jackson, "Lotte Berk (1913 – 2003)", lotteberk.co.uk.
- The Telegraph, 20 July 2010.
External links
- Esther Fairfax official website
- Julie Welch, Lotte Berk , The Guardian, 8 November 2003.
| International | |
|---|---|
| National | |
