Obituary of Johanna H. Mueller

Hanna Hauser Mueller passed away to heaven while in the arms of her daughter, Giselle, on Sunday, January 25, 2004 in New York State. While throughout her life, she devoted herself as a loving wife, mother and Oma (grandmother), Hannah’s professional career as a dance artist and choreographer inspired and enriched the lives of thousands of students and audiences. Hanna Fischer Hauser was a graduate of the Nationale Opera, Munich, Germany, and appeared as prima ballerina with many opera companies throughout Eastern Europe. In 1949, she immigrated to the United States and toured nationally with her first American appearance at the Palace Theatre in New York City. She also appeared with Ed Sullivan and Perry Como, later touring Canada, Cuba, and Mexico. Hanna was formerly married to Michael Hauser with whom she appeared in center ring acrobatic and aerial acts. Settling in Toledo, Hanna Hauser founded and directed The House of Hauser Academy of Ballet – The Finishing School of Ballet. She established a professional curriculum in classical ballet, character, gymnastics and acrobatics and theatre arts and produced decades of exceptional original productions, including the full- length ballet Coppelia, Christmas Fantasy, Around the World International Dance Concert, and excerpts from the ballets Giselle and Prince Igor. In 1960, she formed The International Ballet Company of Toledo and became the official choreographer with the Toledo Opera and the Dayton Civic Opera Co. under the direction of Lester Freedman. In keeping with her impeccable standard of artistic excellence, Hanna’s company members were given opportunities to share the stage with Metropolitan Opera stars Placido Domingo, Blanche Thebom, Roberta Peters, Justino Diaz, and countless others as well as ballet luminaries Kenneth Johnson and Stefan Grebel. Her brilliant choreographies also were featured with the Toledo Symphony, Music Under the Stars with Sam Szor, Toledo Ballet’s Nutcracker (Trepak), International Festival, German-American Festival and numerous benefit performances for local non-profit organizations. Former students of Hanna went on to professional careers in dance and theatre including Barbara Passolt, Broadway musical leading lady, sisters Judy and Francis Lowe who became a lead acrobat team, Brad Parquette apprenticed with Joffrey Ballet and currently teaches and choreographs nationally, Wendy Parquette who teaches art with the Toledo Public Schools, Kim Parquette who teaches ballet with the Leigh High Valley Charter HS of the Arts in Pennsylvania, Vicky Foeller (Finch) currently teaches ballet and jazz at the Bedford Dance Academy, and former principal dancers of The International Ballet Co. of Toledo, Craig Barrow, an established Toledo attorney, VP of The Toledo Ballet Association, proprietor of the Dance Theatre Shop and President of dancewear.com, ballerina Annamarie Zilba, who appeared with Le Grande Theatre de Limoges in France and currently teaches dance in the OH and MI area and with her sister Lorna Zilba, founded LifeDance Theatre in Toledo and San Francisco. Other professional students of Hanna include Patricia Goode, Bonnie Fumo, Camilla Mierzwiak, Marianne Kretschmer, Sandy Barrow, and Sandra Schroeder, and many more from the Toledo area. Hanna was given the Life Arts Award in 1980 from Lifedance Theatre in a special presentation at the University of Toledo in recognition of her lifetime achievement in the arts. Although Hanna’s life was filled with thousands of artistic memories and accomplishments, perhaps her greatest and most outstanding achievement was her marriage to William G. Mueller, her devoted husband for 34 years (deceased in 1999) and the result of that loving union, their only daughter and her best friend, Giselle, who later became Giselle Hanne Jellett. Hanna is survived by her daughter, Giselle, twin grandsons whom she loved and adored, Brenten and Braydin, her son-in-law, James L. Jellett. Hanna’s family, friends and those who may have only known her through the beauty, grace and inspiration of her art, wish her a peaceful journey and thank her for the gifts of life she shared. This is a great loss for all who knew her. Dear Hanna, know that as long as we carry your legacy within our lives, the dance will never end…