Anna Charlotta Behle (9 August 1876 – 2 October 1966) was a

Swedish Swedish or ' may refer to: Anything from or related to Sweden, a country in Northern Europe. Or, specifically: * Swedish language, a North Germanic language spoken primarily in Sweden and Finland ** Swedish alphabet, the official alphabet used by ...

dancer and teacher of

rhythmic gymnastics Rhythmic gymnastics is a sport in which gymnasts perform individually or in groups on a floor with an apparatus: hoop (rhythmic gymnastics), hoop, ball (rhythmic gymnastics), ball, Clubs (rhythmic gymnastics), clubs, ribbon (rhythmic gymnastics), ...

and

solfège In music, solfège (British English or American English , ) or solfeggio (; ), also called sol-fa, solfa, solfeo, among many names, is a mnemonic used in teaching aural skills, Pitch (music), pitch and sight-reading of Western classical music, W ...

Biography

Behle was born in Stockholm in 1876 to unwed parents, and was adopted, along with her brother August, by the Granbäck family, who ensured that she had a full education. She received her degree as an organist from composer in 1896. In 1898 she enrolled at the

Royal College of Music The Royal College of Music (RCM) is a conservatoire established by royal charter in 1882, located in South Kensington, London, UK. It offers training from the undergraduate to the doctoral level in all aspects of Western Music including pe ...

in Stockholm, where she took courses in solo singing for five semesters and then spent time in France, where she changed her surname from Granbäck to Behle. Considered a pioneer of

modern dance Modern dance is a broad genre of western concert dance, concert or theatrical dance which includes dance styles such as ballet, folk, ethnic, religious, and social dancing; and primarily arose out of Europe and the United States in the late 19th ...

in Sweden, she first became interested in the art after watching

Isadora Duncan Angela Isadora Duncan (May 26, 1877, or May 27, 1878 – September 14, 1927) was an American-born dancer and choreographer, who was a pioneer of modern contemporary dance and performed to great acclaim throughout Europe and the United States. Bor ...

perform. Back in Sweden, on 1 May 1906, she went with a friend, Louise Wikström, to the on Karlavägen in Stockholm to see guest Isadora Duncan. They sought out the dancer and were invited to her school outside Berlin in what is now the

Grunewald Grunewald is the name of both a locality and a forest in Germany: * Grunewald (forest) * Grunewald (locality) Grünewald may refer to: * Grünewald (surname) * Grünewald, Germany, a municipality in Brandenburg, Germany * Grünewald (Luxembourg), ...

quarter. After initial studies in singing with

Eugène Crosti Eugène, Charles, Antoine Crosti (21 October 1833 – 30 December 1908) was a 19th-century French baritone and singing teacher. Biography Training Born in Paris, Crosti was a student at the Conservatoire de Paristhen called "Conservatoire n ...

and

Emile Wartel Emile or Émile may refer to: * Émile (novel) (1827), autobiographical novel based on Émile de Girardin's early life * Emile, Canadian film made in 2003 by Carl Bessai * '' Emile: or, On Education'' (1762) by Jean-Jacques Rousseau, a treatise o ...

in Paris, she studied dance with Duncan and with

Emile Jacques-Dalcroze Emile or Émile may refer to: * Émile (novel) (1827), autobiographical novel based on Emile de Girardin, Émile de Girardin's early life * Emile (film), Emile, Canadian film made in 2003 by Carl Bessai * ''Emile, or On Education, Emile: or, On Ed ...

in Geneva, later graduating from the Dalcroze Institute near Dresden in 1911. Combining Duncan's artistry with Dalcroze's pedagogy and technique (), Behle's own version of free dance was formed. After returning to Geneva in 1907 for another summer course, the two friends set up Sweden's first Duncan school of plastic and

in a four-room apartment at Brahegatan 45 in Stockholm. Her students included dancer and writer . In 1909, Behle became a member of

Nya Idun ('New Idun') is a Swedish cultural association for women founded in 1885, originally as a female counterpart to ('the Idun Society'). Its aim was to "gather educated women in the Stockholm area for informal gatherings". Activity was founded ...

, a Swedish women's association. Behle died in Stockholm in 1966. A portrait of Behle by Maj Bring, painted in 1906, is part of the collection of portraits at

Gripsholm Castle Gripsholm Castle () is a castle in Mariefred, Södermanland, Sweden. It is located by lake Mälaren in south central Sweden, in the municipality of Strängnäs, about 60 km west of Stockholm. Since Gustav I Vasa, Gripsholm has belonged ...

Biography

References

Further reading