Angna Enters (1897–1989)

The cover artwork and illustrations in the book caught my attention so I started to read it.

It is an autobiography about a lady I had never heard of. Angna Enters was born in 1907 and went on to be influential in the fields of live performance. Her specialty was mime and dance. Dance that was a precursor to what we call modern dance.

Written in segments like vignettes, she tells of her childhood on through to her mid-30s. Her parents were originally from France and Austria but became naturalized Americans. Born in New York, she was brought up in the Mid-West in a town with a high German population called New Berlin. Her parents weren't traditional and neither was her upbringing.

After graduating from high school and normal school, which teaches teachers and the arts, she moved to New York to study at the Arts Students League in 1919. She was inspired by having seen a live performance by Les Ballet Russes, and felt she could better study dance and theatre in New York rather than the mid-West. Studying with Michio Ito, by 1923 she had created her first performance piece. Borrowing $25 she put on her first live performance at the Greenwich Village Theatre. This was the start of her career.

The book gives views of what it took for her to pursue a career on the stage. A single girl in her 20s in a world dominated by men. There are many funny parts and some that show how persistant she was in achieving her goals.

The illustrations add to the story and help set the atmosphere of the time frame. The writing is a little uneven, but I think that is a reflection of the author and her life.… (meer)