Marthe Krueger, noted dancer, teacher

Marthe Krueger of Wilton, an internationally known concert dancer and choreographer who toured many of the great cities of Europe and America , died on Wednesday, Sept. 20, at Norwalk Hospital. Ms. Krueger had lived in Ridgefield early in her career.
“She not only leaves some gigantic pointe shoes to fill and a void in our lives, but most importantly, leaves behind a legacy of love,” Christine Leventhal, a former student, noted. “She was a pioneer of dance in Fairfield County; devoted to her students surely, but even more, devoted to the art of dance and a never-ending pursuit of excellence in her art.”
Ms. Krueger was born in Mulhouse, Alsace-Lorraine, France, on Feb. 7, 1910. She began her ballet training at eight years of age in Strasbourg, Alsace-Lorraine, and went on to study in Paris with such dance luminaries as Mmes. Egorova, Vera Trefilova and Wladi Kamecki. She also studied with the famed Monsieur Nicolas Legat in London.
She performed as a soloist throughout Europe, and upon coming to America at the age of 23 in 1933, made her debut at New York City’s Town Hall. Miss Krueger went on to teach at several of New York’s finest dance schools, where she became close friends with the legendary ballerina Muriel Stuart. During World War II, she not only toured with a U.S.O. unit, entertaining the troops, but also worked as a professional photographer, opening her own studio in New York.
She found that the fluidity and lyrical qualities of dance are close to many of the qualities found in nature. This belief inspired her to move to Connecticut, where she opened her first studio in Ridgefield in the 1940s in what was called the old Coach House on her estate on Branchville Road. Later she served as ballet mistress at the Silvermine Guild, and in 1960, opened her signature studio in Wilton.
The Marthe Krueger School of Dance was a huge success, former students noted. Ms. Krueger “surrounded her lovely glass-walled studio with the best of nature: a tree-encircled pond complete with swans Sigy and Odette (whose elegant necks and movement inspired those within); all sizes, colors and kinds of birds; mallards, wood ducks and geese; deer; muskrats; raccoons; and most thrilling of all — the great blue heron,” recalled Ms. Leventhal. “Marthe loved her animals and birds. She was a gifted gardener as well, and bright swatches and drifts of color surrounded her property.”
When asked how one produces a ballerina, Ms. Krueger said in an interview in 1966: “Stars are born, dancers are made.” The ingredients of teaching were simple, she said. “You must gain the confidence of your pupils. The rest is easy.”
“Marthe taught her last class the day before she fell ill and went to the hospital,” Ms. Leventhal recalled. “I was blessed to have been in that class. I will never forget her, swaying with her arms, as she exhorted us to even more graceful and moving balances and waltz turns; praising when she saw something she liked; clucking her tongue, shaking her head, and then with a mischievous glint in her eye when she couldn’t get what she wanted from us.
“Marthe was a gift and inspiration to us. What could be more wonderful than looking forward to getting up each morning, no matter how old you are, because there is always something more to learn, to experience, to see, to treasure? This is what she left us. Thank you, Marthe, from the bottoms of our hearts.”
Ms. Krueger’s husband, Adolf Mayer, died in 1939. She is survived by Jill and Adolf Mayer and Valerie Torcia of Scarsdale, N.Y., and relatives in Iceland and Europe. Her wish was to be cremated, so that her ashes could be scattered around her beloved property and home. A private “scattering of the ashes” will take place this month.
In honor of her memory, a Marthe Krueger Scholarship has been founded at the Conservatory of Dance in Georgetown. Director Lori Ruggles began her dance career under Ms. Krueger’s tutelage as a young child, and wants to perpetuate her memory by fostering the love of dance in a student each year. Memorial contributions may be made to the Marthe Krueger Scholarship Fund, Conservatory of Dance, c/o Lori Ruggles, Director, 9 New Street, Wilton 06897.