Gertrude Barrison

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Gertrude Barrison, Vienna 1906

Gertrude Barrison (born February 5, 1880 in Valby , from 1901 part of Copenhagen , as Gertrud Marie Bareisen; † August 28, 1946 in Copenhagen) was a Danish dancer , singer and actress .

Life

Gertrude Barrison was born in Denmark as the youngest of five sisters. In 1886 the mother emigrated with the children to the USA, following her husband, Gertrude's father, who was an umbrella maker who was often drunk.

From 1893 she had great success as part of the Barrison Sisters together with her four sisters Lona, Sophia, Inger and Olga. They were especially popular in variety shows with bold dances and sayings. They also toured numerous countries in Europe.

In August 1897 the sisters separated. Gertrude Barrison first went back to her mother, who was now living in Denmark again, and then to Paris. She toured Russia as a duo with Inger. Then she went to Dresden and studied painting at the art academy with moderate success. Then she appeared again as a dancer, now incognito without her famous last name, and only now learned the dance technique from scratch.

At the beginning of 1906 she came to Vienna . In the cabaret Nachtlicht she was warmly welcomed by Viennese artist circles. The Swedish singer Anna Norrie (1860–1957) took her on a tour. In Copenhagen she was recognized by a Danish journalist and then appeared again as Gertrude Barrison . Under this name she began a successful dance career in Vienna. At the opening of Cabaret Fledermaus in 1907, she performed her solo piece “Morgenstimmung”. As part of her dance work, she began to build up a collection of real historical costumes. She married the Austrian painter, caricaturist, singer and cabaret artist Carl Leopold Hollitzer . The separation took place in 1910.

She also held readings of poems by Peter Altenberg , first in October 1907, after Altenberg had suggested her as interpreter of his poems. Alfred Döblin wrote a positive review in 1911. In 1921 she worked as an actress in the Austrian film The Big and Small World by director Max Mack . She also ran a dance school in Vienna.

In 1931, at the age of fifty, she published her memories in a magazine. At that time she still danced on special occasions and held readings with texts by Altenberg, but above all she was now concerned with astrology and gave lectures on the inner connection of things. In 1934 she created horoscopes in Berlin.

Gertrude Barrison died in 1946 as the last of the sisters in her native Copenhagen. Today she is counted among those early free dancers who were interested in an individualistic form of presentation. There are no preserved footage. In 2007 she performed a dance recreation in Munich.

Web links

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ Some Suicidal Sisters In: The Argonaut. October 26, 1896 (English).
  2. ↑ Gertrude Barrison on cyranos.ch
  3. ↑ David Monod: The wicked Barrisons. In: Jessica Hecht: Music and International History in the Twentieth Century. 2015. ( [1] extract).
  4. ↑ a b c d Gertrude Barrison: The end of a world sensation - the dance archetype of our days February 1931.
  5. ^ Night light in the Vienna History Wiki of the City of Vienna
  6. ↑ a b Program text “Morgenstimmung” 2007 on www.rosebreuss.com
  7. ^ Alfred Döblin: Gertrude Barrison. In: The storm. October 14, 1911
  8. ↑ The youngest of the Barrison Sisters produces horoscopes in Berlin. In: Illustrated Press. 1934.
personal data
SURNAME Barrison, Gertrude
ALTERNATIVE NAMES Bareisen, Gertrud Marie (maiden name)
BRIEF DESCRIPTION Danish dancer, singer and actress
DATE OF BIRTH February 5, 1880
PLACE OF BIRTH Valby , Copenhagen
DATE OF DEATH August 28, 1946
Place of death Copenhagen