Gisela Taeger
(19**-2016) Dancer, choreographer, movement lecturer. (Also known as Gisela Taeger-Berger after her marriage to Jochen Berger and later as Gisela Taeger-Liltved after her marriage to opera singer Øystein Liltved).
Biography
Born in Germany. Received her training at the Folkwang Hochschule for Music, Dance and Drama in Essen, Western Germany under Kurt Jooss and others, including Anne Woolliams, Lucas Hoving, Pearl Lang, Anthony Tudor, Yuriko Kikuschi, Walter Nicks, Jose Udaeta and Boris Kniaseff.
She came to South Africa in 1960, and spent much of her life in Stellenbosch, where she died on 22 July, 2016.
Contribution to South African theatre and performance
She was brought onto the staff of the Stellenbosch University Drama Department as Lecturer in Movement by Prof Fred Engelen in 1961, went to Germany to further her studies during 1965-67, before returning to the Stellenbosch Drama Department, where she taught until 198*. She also taught at the University of Pretoria.
Formed the Gisela Taeger-Berger Modern Dance Group in 1971. The group toured around South Africa staging performances of modern dance choreographed and staged by Taeger. The members of the Dance group were Johann van Heerden, Joleen Lubowski, Leonétte van der Merwe, Roberta Durrant, Esthéa Mellet, Marcel van Heerden, Rika Sennet and Chris van Rensburg.
She was from time to time also a member of other dance and theatre groups, including Jazzart. She and Gary Burne did experimental choreographic work at the Space Theatre.
Sources
Gisela Taeger-Berger Modern Dance Group theatre programme, 1971.
"Danspersoonlikheid oorlede" in Eikestadnuus, 4 August 2016
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gary_Burne
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