Pola Nirenska | |
|---|---|
Pola Nirensztajn | |
 Pola Nirenska performing Krzyk (Cry) in 1933 at the International Competition for Solo Dance | |
| Born | July 28, 1910 |
| Died | July 25, 1992 (aged 81) Bethesda, Maryland, U.S. |
| Nationality | Polish American |
| Education | Wigman School |
| Notable work | Cry (1934); A Scarecrow Remembers (1946); In Memory of Those I Loved...Who Are No More (1990) |
| Movement | Modern dance |
| Spouse(s) | John Justinian de Ledesma (m. 1946; div. 1949); Jan Karski (m. 1965) |
| Awards | Eighth place 1933 International Competition for Solo Dance First prize (choreography) 1934 Cry – International Dance Congress Second prize (performance) 1934 Cry – International Dance Congress |
Pola Nirenska (28 July 1910 — 25 July 1992), born Pola Nirensztajn, was a Polish performer of modern dance. She had a critically acclaimed if brief career in Austria, Germany, Italy, and Poland in the 1930s before fleeing the continent in 1935 due to rising antisemitism. She spent 14 years in the United Kingdom, primarily entertaining refugees, troops, and war workers. She emigrated to the United States in 1949 and settled in Washington, D.C., where she was widely acknowledged as the city's leading choreographer and performer of modern dance until her death.