Maria Litto (1919–1996) was a German ballet dancer, choreographer and film actress. In 1970, she pioneered dance programming on German television.

Early life

Born in Ovenhausen, Höxter, on 9 September 1919, Litto attended the town's primary and secondary schools. From the age of 16, she received training in ballet at the ''Tanzschule Carus'' in

Holzminden Holzminden (; ) is a town in southern Lower Saxony, Germany. It is the capital of the district of Holzminden (district), Holzminden. It is located on the river Weser, which at this point forms the border with the state of North Rhine-Westphalia. ...

and, when 18, at the Folkwangschule in

Essen Essen () is the central and, after Dortmund, second-largest city of the Ruhr, the largest urban area in Germany. Its population of makes it the fourth-largest city of North Rhine-Westphalia after Cologne, Düsseldorf and Dortmund, as well as ...

. She completed her training at the Wuppertal Municipal Theatre.

Career

She joined the Berlin Opera ballet in 1941, first becoming a solo dancer and then, in 1944,

prima ballerina A ballet dancer is a person who practices the art of classical ballet. Both females and males can practice ballet. They rely on years of extensive training and proper technique to become a part of a professional ballet company. Ballet dancers ...

. In 1948, she performed in

Werner Egk Werner Egk (, 17 May 1901 – 10 July 1983), born Werner Joseph Mayer, was a German composer. Early career He was born in the Swabian town of Auchsesheim, today part of Donauwörth, Germany. His family, of Catholic peasant stock, moved to Augsb ...

's ballet ''Abraxas''. Thereafter she danced in various films including '' Third from the Right'', '' Melody of Fate'', '' Maya of the Seven Veils'' and, taking the lead role, in '' Queen of the Arena''. In 1953, she starred in the musical ''Die Blume von Hawaii'' ('' The Flower of Hawaii'') where she played Princess Lia a fictionalised version of Liliuokalani. In November 1954, she was contracted by the Hamburg Opera. After performing in ''Hamlet'', in 1955 she starred as the snake in Werner Egk's '' Irische Legende'' at the

Salzburg Festival The Salzburg Festival () is a prominent festival of music and drama established in 1920. It is held each summer, for five weeks starting in late July, in Salzburg, Austria, the birthplace of Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart. Mozart's operas are a focus of ...

. Among her subsequent successes were ''Der Engel von Montparnasse'' and ''Formender Willie''. She also performed in the musical '' Fanny'' at Hamburg's Thalia Theater. In the 1960s, she devoted more time to choreography together with her husband Heinz Schmiedel. In 1970 she played the lead in the television series ''Tournee – Ein Ballett tanzt um die Welt'', pioneering dance programming on German television. The couple continued to appear in television productions until her husband's sudden death in December 1978. Completely devastated, she withdrew from further appearances. Maria Litto died in Hamburg on 25 October 1996.

Film and television

From 1942 to 1971, Maria Litto appeared in a considerable number of films and television productions. She was also active as a television choreographer until 1979.

Selected filmography

* '' Love Me'' (1942) * ''

Love Premiere ''Love Premiere'' () is a 1943 German comedy film directed by Arthur Maria Rabenalt and starring Hans Söhnker, Kirsten Heiberg and Fritz Odemar. The film's sets were designed by Robert Herlth. The film is based on the stage play "Axel an der Hi ...

'' (1943) * '' Beloved Darling'' (1943) * '' Nora'' (1944) * '' Life Calls'' (1944) * '' Third from the Right'' (1950) * '' Melody of Fate'' (1950) * '' Professor Nachtfalter'' (1951) * '' Maya of the Seven Veils'' (1951) * '' Queen of the Arena'' (1952) * '' Dunja'' (1955) * '' Three Days Confined to Barracks'' (1955) * '' Three Birch Trees on the Heath'' (1956) * ' (1957) * ''

I Learned That in Paris I, or i, is the ninth letter and the third vowel letter of the Latin alphabet, used in the modern English alphabet, the alphabets of other western European languages and others worldwide. Its name in English is ''i'' (pronounced ), plu ...

'' (1960) * '' The Gorilla of Soho'' (1968) * '' The Man with the Glass Eye'' (1969)

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Litto, Maria 1919 births German ballerinas People from Höxter German women choreographers German choreographers Prima ballerinas 1996 deaths 20th-century German ballet dancers