In this well-illustrated work, Pauline Koner “traces the course” of her remarkable career from her days as a student of Michel Fokine in the 1920s, through further studies with Angel Cansino and the brilliantly influential Michio Ito, to a period as a dance soloist before World War II that make her reputation. After the war she entered a productive collaboration with Doris Humphrey, and then began the epochal performances with Jose Limon. She continued to perform until 1972, and her influence as a teacher and choreographer is still widely felt. Her book is an instructive and charming chronicle of this remarkable career, as well as a record of performances and interpretations that have gone far to mold modern dance into its present state of grace.

“The whole point about Pauline Koner’s career is the very individual turn she took into the mainstream of American modern dance. Artistically, she is her own ancestor.
“When the very young dancer embarked on a performing career in 1928, the concept of ‘modern dance’ had not been articulated. . . . Unlike so many modern dancers, Miss Koner got her start in ballet. Although best known for her historical portrayal of Emilia in the original cast of Jose Limon’s The Moor’s Pavane, she does not come out of the Doris Humphrey-Jose Limon line of descent. To trace the course of her career is to trace the course of an independent artist, an individualist, a great dancer, and incidentally, a pioneer in dance on television.”—Anna Kisselgoff