Max Niehaus

Born in Wesel, Niehaus, who was a full-time civil servant in Wiesbaden,[1] was considered one of the leading representatives of factual modern dance literature. He was also a staff member at the Goethe-Institut, where he was responsible for German ballet guest performances abroad. His international contacts gave him a comprehensive view of the dance scene and also shaped his publications. These dealt both with German dancers such as Heinz Bosl and with international dance makers such as Isadora Duncan and Vaslav Nijinsky. His friendship with Sergei Diaghilev and the Ballets Russes as well as with numerous German and American artists allowed him to conduct intensive research. He gained professional international recognition by setting up ballet photo exhibitions in New York City, Brussels, Naples and Munich. The special feature of the photos was that they did not depict posed positions, but rather snapshots of the performance process. Niehaus also published an annual ballet calendar from 1958.

Niehaus died in Munich at the age of 92. His estate is housed in the Deutsches Tanzarchiv Köln.

• Alexander J. Balcar (Hg.): Knaurs Ballett Lexikon. Knaur Verlag, München/Zürich 1958.
• Horst Koegler, Helmut Günther (ed.): Reclams Ballettlexikon. Philipp Reclam jun., Stuttgart 1991, p. 323. ISBN 3-150-10328-2
• Horst Koegler (ed.): Friedrichs Ballettlexikon. Friedrich Verlag, Velber bei Hannover 1972.
• Paul S. Ulrich: Biographisches Verzeichnis für Theater, Tanz und Musik. Berlin 1997, ISBN 3-870-61479-X

• Literature by and about Max Niehaus in the German National Library catalogue
• Biographie und Abbildungen aus seinem Nachlass
• Zwanzigster Todestag von Max Niehaus
• Max Niehaus: Himmel, Hölle und Trikot