Lola Botka (1910-2006).

A dancer of the Jooss Ballet and cofounder of the National Ballet of Chile, Lola Botka died in November. At the age of 20, the Hungary-born dancer was spotted at a festival by Kurt Jooss. Within a few months--at Rudolf Laban's insistence--she went to Essen to be a part of Jooss' company, where she met her husband, Ernst Uthoff. She was also the ballet mistress of the Opera of Duisburg in the late 1930s.

During a Jooss Ballet tour in 1941, Botka and Uthoff were performing in Chile when World War II broke out in Hungary and they could not return home. What began with classes in a small hall in Santiago turned into the National Ballet of Chile by 1945. Botka performed many lead roles and the company toured throughout South America and the U.S. In November of 1964, the company performed Jooss' masterpiece The Green Table at the New York State Theatre. Doris Hering wrote in her Dance Magazine review, "Lola Botka radiated a quiet courage as the Old Mother," a role she had originated more than 30 years earlier.

Botka was a mother off stage too. Michael Uthoff, former principal with the Joffrey and currently the artistic and executive director of Dance St. Louis, says, "I consider myself a most lucky person to have been my parents' son. They never pushed my brother Andras or me to be onstage. Yet they allowed us the opportunity to see everything and make our own choices." Michael saw her perform during his childhood in Chile, and had the opportunity to dance with her during his career. "Robert Joffrey allowed me a memory to live with forever when she appeared as the Old Mother in The Green Table on our last performance of the ballet during our 1967 City Center season."

Uthoff says her humanity and passion onstage were spellbinding. "She had incredible physicality that allowed her to perform at a young age roles such as the Old Mother, a sensual Putifar in The Legend of Joseph, and a charming musical down in Alotria."

From Botka, Uthoff learned "a love and lust for life and a devotion and commitment to an art form that demands you be there 150 percent."