Esther Junger

Esther Junger
Esther Junger (1947)
Born(1902-03-20)March 20, 1902
New York City
DiedSeptember 21, 1987(1987-09-21) (aged 85)
Santa Monica, California
Other nameEsther Junger Klempner
OccupationsDancer, choreographer, dance director

Esther Junger (March 20, 1902–September 21, 1987) was a 20th-century American modern dancer and choreographer.[1]

Life and work

Esther Junger was born in New York City in 1902.[2] The peak of her artistic career was in the 1930s, after which she became "increasingly preoccupied with commercial work."[1] She had been part of the "New World Dancers and in the productions of the Neighborhood Playhouse," when she made her solo debut in 1930 at the Guild Theater, where she "gave a highly satisfactory account of herself" including a dance to a poem by Richard Harrison called "Green Pastures."[3][4] She also performed "a number of solo recitals in New York City and appeared as a featured dancer in Gluck-Sandor's [productions of the modern ballets] El Amor Brujo and Petrouchka as well as a number of other productions."[5]

Initially trained by "the group of the late Bird Larson," she was awarded a fellowship, along with José Limón and Anna Sokolow, to the Bennington School of the Dance at Bennington College in 1937.[6] The New York Times argued that of the three resulting choreographies, Junger's product "represents the factor of greatest interest."[6] Per the Times, "aside from a few Broadway revues, Esther Junger has made but three New York appearances since the breakup of the old Larsen ensemble."[6] Limón recalled her work in his memoir, writing, "Esther Junger, for all her undisputed talent and accomplishment as a performer, was not a practiced choreographer. Her piece, a primitive ritual of betrothal, with herself as the bride and me as the bridegroom and a large group of girls as a chorus, was, as I remember, competent but uninspired. Esther was brilliant in her solo passages. I served her well, supporting and lifting her."[5] Her 1939 show at the 92nd Street Y was given an unalloyed rave in the New York Times, with the critic John Martin writing "Esther Junger recently gave her first New York recital in more than three years, and danced as beautifully as anybody has danced hereabouts in many a long day...In any case, it would be a general boon if she could be put into wider circulation, for there are few dancers in the field who have as much to contribute at this particular moment, or who could be counted on to make as many friends not only for themselves but for the dance."[7]

Elsewhere she did the original choreography and staging for Dark of the Moon, Tis of Thee, Parade, Billy Rose's Diamond Horseshoe, and Dear Judas, in which she also danced.[8][9] She choreographed a Milton Berle show called Spring in Brazil.[10] In the late 1940s she choreographed for the Ringling Brothers and Barnum & Bailey circus.[11] In 1950 she choreographed the "Willie the Weeper" segment of Ballet Ballads.[9] In 1951 she was the choreographer for the Jackie Gleason comedy hour.[12] In 1970 she was involved in the organization of the Inner City Repertory Dance Company in the city of Los Angeles.[13] Esther Junger Klempner died in Santa Monica, California in 1987.[2]

References

  1. 1 2 Reynolds, Nancy; McCormick, Malcolm (2003). No fixed points : dance in the twentieth century. Yale University Press. p. 328. ISBN 978-0-300-09366-7 – via Internet Archive.
  2. 1 2 "Entry for Esther J Klempner and Paul Junger". Social Security Numerical Identification Files (NUMIDENT), 1936–2007. FamilySearch.
  3. ↑ "DEBUT AS SOLO DANCER BY ESTHER JUNGER; Gives Satisfactory Recital at Guild Theatre--Three Other Performances". The New York Times. November 24, 1930. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2026-07-22.
  4. ↑ "Richard B. Harrison collection, 1898–1935". archives.nypl.org. Retrieved 2026-07-22.
  5. 1 2 Limón, José (1998). Garafola, Lynn (ed.). José Limón : an unfinished memoir. Studies in Dance History. Hanover, New Hampshire: University Press of New England. pp. 81, 159 n. 58. ISBN 978-0-8195-6374-3 – via Internet Archive.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: date and year (link)
  6. 1 2 3 Martin, John (August 29, 1937). "THE DANCE: NEW BLOOD; Esther Junger, Jose Limon and Anna Sokolow in Bennington Fellows' Program Miss Junger's Work "Danza de la Muerte" Italian Exposition Notes of the Dancers". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2026-07-22.
  7. ↑ Martin, John (April 9, 1939). "THE DANCE: MISS JUNGER; An Admirable Artist Who Should Be Seen More Often--Coming Events". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2026-07-22.
  8. ↑ "Esther Junger Here to Create Dances for Show". The Los Angeles Times. September 13, 1950. p. 67. Retrieved 2026-07-22.
  9. 1 2 Bongard, David (September 27, 1950). "No elephants in Century's Ballet Ballads, please". Daily News. p. 28. Retrieved 2026-07-22.
  10. ↑ "Milton Berle, Spring in Brazil". Pittsburgh Sun-Telegraph. November 4, 1945. p. 26. Retrieved 2026-07-22.
  11. ↑ "Huge New 1948 Edition". The Austin American. September 23, 1948. p. 17. Retrieved 2026-07-22.
  12. ↑ "Comedy Hour Returns to TV". Buffalo Courier Express. September 2, 1951. p. 13. Retrieved 2026-07-22.
  13. ↑ "Formation of Inner City Dance Unit Announced". The Los Angeles Times. April 28, 1970. p. 61. Retrieved 2026-07-22.
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