Anneliese von Oettingen

Anneliese Helene Charlotte von Oettingen (22 January 1917 – 9 December 2002) was a ballerina and influential ballet teacher and choreographer. After training in Berlin and London, she taught in Berlin during World War II. After the war she moved to Cincinnati, where she taught ballet and modern dance, and helped found the Cincinnati Civic Ballet. She was featured in Sports Illustrated, and received the keys to the city of Cincinnati.

Early life Born in Berlin in 1917, von Oettingen was four years old when she began dance lessons. She originally trained in the Russian ballet method under the instruction of Eugenie Edvardova in Berlin. She opened her first ballet school in Cincinnati a year later in 1948. In addition to teaching at her own school, she also taught ballet and modern dance at Our Lady of Cincinnati College (later Edgecliff College) for 14 years, and at Moss Lake Camp for girls for 23 years.

In 1962 von Oettingen was one of seven ballet teachers in the Cincinnati area who came together to form the Cincinnati Civic Ballet, now known today as the Cincinnati Ballet Company. She played a key role in recommending Oleg Sabline for new leadership at the College-Conservatory of Music.

In 1989, von Oettingen received the keys to the city of Cincinnati in recognition of her accomplishments and her first ballet studio in Cincinnati was recognized as a "Cincinnati First" with a bicentennial plaque. Later, in 1998, Ohio Governor Bob Taft honored her with the governor's award.