Walkabout Dancer

About the Book

Eileen Kramer spent her childhood listening to the kookaburras and sailing along the coast of Australia. Dwelling on this island continent, it was not surprising that the rest of the world rarely visibly manifested itself through the window of Eileen's existence. A creative, magical spirit from the beginning, young Eileen left school at an early age, finding a course that enabled her to go her own way.

Eileen's life was changed in 1939 when she attended a performance of the Bodenwieser Dance Company in Sydney, opening the door for her world travels and her remarkable journey through life. The dance company taught its dancers more than just dance. Through Madame Bodenwieser, Eileen absorbed European culture – appreciation of music, art, architecture, politics – in other words, the dance company brought about a life-changing way of thinking.

Eileen's journeys to India, Australia, Paris and the United States have influenced her dances and have blended a wonderful intermingling of styles. She carries with her a spiritual "dilly bag" filled with ideas and images she has gathered from her world travels. Lyrical, expressive, and always creatively imaginative, Eileen Kramer's choreography, costumes, and philosophy have proven an inspiration to all those around her. This lovely book chronicles Eileen's life with tales of her travels, experiences, and escapades, as we watch her dancing lightly through the years.

About the Author

Eileen was born in a suburb of Sydney called Mosman's Bay. With her family, she spent long summers in the Australian bush, or cruising along the coast of New South Wales and Queensland in the Astoria, her fathers boat.

In school, Eileen was dreamy and not satisfied with her classes. She left early and later enrolled in the Conservatorium of Music. There she took piano, theory of music and singing, hoping to become an opera singer. Upon seeing a performance of the Bodenwieser Modern Dance Company, from Vienna, she immediately began to study dance in the newly formed Bodenwieser School and three years later was given her first role in the professional company.

In her close relationship with Madame Bodenwieser and the Viennese dancers who had come from the most intellectually exciting city in Central Europe the Australian students learned much more than dancing. The arts were subjects that entered into their daily conversations.

After ten years of touring with Bodenwieser, the walkabout fever overcame Eileen. Following a long tour of India, she returned to that vast sub-continent alone and stayed for three years, then went on to London and Paris where she spent four years, before coming to the United States.

While visiting in West Virginia, Eileen met some contemporary dancers who welcomed her into their performing group. With the support of Trillium Performing Arts Collective, these dancers and choreographers, create new original works each year. Eileen among them still creates dances in the expressive style of Bodenwieser.