 In the 1930s, her ambitions were seriously curtailed by the Nazis.Born in Berlin, Feist first studied with Émile Jaques-Dalcroze in Hellerau, Dresden, in 1914 before moving back to Berlin in 1917 to study under Olga Desmond.Thereafter she joined Rudolf von Laban, following him to various locations in the north of Germany and participating in his majestic Tanzbühne productions.