Anita Zahn (1903-1994)

Anita Zahn brought the joy of dance into the lives of children for more than half a century. "Only that education is right which includes the dance," Isadora once wrote. Anita Zahn carried forward the Duncan creed into contemporary times, and practiced it within an academic curriculum. During the school year, she taught as faculty at exclusive private schools in Manhattan, such as Dalton, Spence, and Nightingale-Branford. During the summer months she evolved day schools for the arts in magical settings by the sea. As dancer and choreographer, she performed in Europe and America between 1915 and 1936. With her own group, she presented seasons at the Booth, Plymouth, and Anta Theaters. For Stokowski and Robert Edmund Jones, she staged productions at City Center and Carnegie Hall that were televised live. Her career represents a bridge between her two Duncan mentors, Elizabeth, the educator, and Isadora, the shining star. From 1913 when she entered the Elizabeth Duncan School at age ten, she remained in the limelight. Highly respected in NY dance circles as well, she was among the founding committee of the 92nd St. Y.


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