Gret Palucca is one of the founders of modern dance and simultaneously a symbol of German-German history. Journalist Susanne Beyer was able to access the previously restricted private correspondence of this remarkable woman and uses these personal documents to illustrate Palucca's lively exchanges with her friends, acquaintances, and relatives who accompanied her throughout her long life. The author uncovers and portrays Palucca's environment as a significant circle of artists and intellectuals of the 20th century, including figures like Wassily Kandinsky, Ernst Ludwig Kirchner, Paul Klee, and Otto Dix. A highly engaging and surprisingly effective life principle emerges: the Palucca principle, a formula for success in the tumultuous history of Germany. Palucca was born in Munich in 1902, began her dance training with Mary Wigman in 1920, and soon celebrated successes as a solo dancer.