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Ballet Man from Germany

A little unusual is the life Heinz Poll writes about in this book. It is his own life and it links Central European theater dance to American regional ballet. Most influences on ballet in the United States have come from elsewhere in Europe, especially Russia. The contributions of German–speaking countries were principally to modern dance. How and why Poll, who was born in 1926 in Germany and raised there, attached himself to ballet is the principal thing American dance readers will want to understand as they follow the course of his life. Growing up in small-town, working-class surroundings, Poll was “a loner” (p. 11). Already on page 2 of the book he tells us that his best friend was a street lamp. Joining the Hitler Youth because it was obligatory, he loathed the hours in its ranks spent marching, boxing, playing soccer, and taking camping trips. What did appeal to him were roller skating and ice skating, which he did on his own and at which he excelled. A one-time class trip to a theatrical performance was a revelation. Although the members of Poll’s family ridiculed his declaration that he wanted to become an actor, they reluctantly accepted his skating skills. Ballet came into his life through the advice of a coach who said it would help him progress as a skater. Apparently the ballet lessons were rudimentary and he was the only boy enrolled, but his teacher, a woman who choreographed for local operas and operettas, made it possible