Pauline Koner

Pauline Koner was an American dancer and choreographer best known for her stage shows at the Roxy Theater. She was born in New York City to Russian Jewish immigrants. Koner was inspired to become a dancer after seeing Anna Pavlova in The Dying Swan. She studied ballet under Michel Fokine in the 1920s, and later studied under Angel Cansino. She was a student of Spanish dance as well as the fusion of Asian and Western dance popularized by Japanese choreographers Michio Itō and Yeichi Nimura. 

Koner performed as a soloist for 15 years, touring to countries including Egypt and Palestine in 1932 and the Soviet Union from 1934 to 1936, where she taught as well as performed. She danced in several companies, including those of Michael Fokine, Michio Itō, and José Limón. Koner was also associated with Doris Humphrey after World War II, choreographing her best-known dance, The Farewell (1962), in honor of Humphrey. 

In 1972, Koner stopped performing, but continued to teach in India, Japan, Korea, and Singapore. She led the Pauline Koner Dance Consort from 1976 to 1982. Beginning in 1986, she became a regular lecturer at Juilliard. Her teaching and choreography continue to be recognized, especially her course “Elements of Performing,” which she taught at the North Carolina School of the Arts, American Dance Festival, and schools in the United States, Europe, and Asia. The course focused on performance elements such as motivation, emotion, focus, dynamics, and the use of props, fabrics, lights, and sound. She published two books: her autobiography, Solitary Song, in 1989; and Elements of Performance in 1993. 

Koner received the 1963 Dance Magazine Award and received an honorary degree from Rhode Island College.