On the recordMarch 7, 2022
It is with a heavy heart that I rise today to honor the life of Ingeborg Heuser, who passed away after a lifetime in the arts. Ingeborg immigrated to the United States from Germany after World War II, arriving to El Paso in 1953 as the wife of a servicemember. As a classical ballet dancer, she opened her first studio that year and became ballet director of the Texas Western Civic Ballet. Over the next 47 years, she would establish and direct Ballet El Paso, Ballet of the Americas, and the University of Texas El Paso ballet. Thousands of students passed through her studio doors, and countless audience members were exposed to a wide range of classical ballet through her service. Her cross-border collaborations with companies in Europe, Mexico, and Latin America contributed to the exchange of international artistic endeavors, including the first U.S.-Mexico repertory exchange in 1977. Madam Speaker, we have lost one of El Paso's shining stars, a trailblazer of the arts for our region. I ask you to join me in paying tribute to the life of Ingeborg Heuser. May her legacy and commitment to the arts continue to be an inspiration to us all. ____________________
