Elna Theresa Lillback Addison (1906 – January 16, 1950), also known as Elna Lillback Kline, was an American dancer, choreographer, and college professor. She taught at Brooklyn College in the 1930s and 1940s.
Elna Lillback | |
|---|---|
 Elna Lillback, from a 1925 newspaper | |
| Born | 1906 Fitchburg, Massachusetts, U.S. |
| Died | January 16, 1950 (aged 43–44) Brooklyn, New York, U.S. |
| Other names | Elna Lillback Addison, Elna Lillback Kline |
| Occupations | dancer, dance educator, college professor |
| Spouse | Arthur Addison Kline |
Early life and education
editLillback was born in Fitchburg, Massachusetts, a daughter of John Erik Lillback and Frances Theresa (Fanny) Mattson Lillback.[1] Her father was a Congregational pastor, born in Finland.[2] She graduated from Hunter College in 1927.[3] She studied in Germany with Mary Wigman and in New York with Martha Graham.[4]
Career
editLillback and her dance company gave their New York debut recital in 1935,[5] at the Guild Theatre; she was accompanied by pianist and composer Norman Lloyd. Critic John Martin of The New York Times observed the influences of Wigman and Graham.[6] She gave another recital at the Guild Theatre in 1936,[7] which John Martin called "manifestly over-ambitious", while admitting that Lillback had "grown considerably in poise and assurance since last year".[8] Another Guild Theatre appearance in 1937 was panned as "a program of excessive dullness" by Virginia Mishnun in the Brooklyn Eagle.[9] She gave a benefit dance performance at the Barbizon Plaza in 1939, to raise scholarship funds for Brooklyn College.[10]
In the 1930s and 1940s, Lillback taught physiology and hygiene at Brooklyn College,[4] where she organized the dance department in 1931,[11] and directed the college's Modern Dance Club in several performances a year.
Publications
editPersonal life
editReferences
edit- 1 2 "Prof. Elna Lillback of Brooklyn College". The New York Times. 1950-01-17. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2026-04-01.
- ↑ "Minister Asks $50,000 for Attack on Morals". The Boston Globe. 1925-10-14. p. 32. Retrieved 2026-04-01 – via Newspapers.com.
- ↑ Hunter College, Commencement Program (June 16, 1927).
- 1 2 Finn, Louise (1935-02-10). "Home Town Girls". Daily News. p. 125. Retrieved 2026-04-01 – via Newspapers.com.
- ↑ "The Dance; Elna Lillback and Group at Guild Theater". Brooklyn Eagle. 1935-01-28. p. 8. Retrieved 2026-04-01 – via Newspapers.com.
- ↑ Martin, John. "Elna Lillback Seen in Debut as Dancer" The New York Times (January 28, 1935): 11.
- ↑ Mishnun, Virginia (1936-02-17). "The Dance". Brooklyn Eagle. p. 17. Retrieved 2026-04-01 – via Newspapers.com.
- ↑ Martin, John (1936-02-17). "Novelties Danced by Elna Lillback; Last Year's Debutante in Her Field Appears With Group at Guild Theatre". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2026-04-01.
- ↑ Mishnun, Virginia (1937-02-02). "The Dance". Brooklyn Eagle. p. 11. Retrieved 2026-04-01 – via Newspapers.com.
- ↑ "DANCE GROUP IN RECITAL; Elna Lillback Gives Premiere of 'Our Heritage'". The New York Times. May 13, 1939. p. 16. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2026-04-01.
- 1 2 "Mrs. Arthur Addison, Known as Elna Lillback, Dance Tutor". Brooklyn Eagle. 1950-01-17. p. 15. Retrieved 2026-04-01 – via Newspapers.com.
- ↑ Lillback, Elna (February 1941). "Approach to Dance Composition". The Journal of Health and Physical Education. 12 (2): 83–127. doi:10.1080/23267240.1941.10620144. ISSN 2326-7240.
- ↑ Lillback, Elna (March 1941). "Approach to Dance Composition: II". The Journal of Health and Physical Education. 12 (3): 140–207. doi:10.1080/23267240.1941.10620170. ISSN 2326-7240.