Called thé dansant in French and tanztee in German, the tea dance originated in the 19th century
Introduced at a tea dance
This was the background at the time in the very early 1930s when Gerhard and Ilse first met in Berlin.
They were introduced at a tea dance by Ilse's best friend, Annie Lewi, the daughter of Rosa's sister Fraziska (Fränze) and Alfred Lewi, who was Gerhard's cousin.
At this same tea dance was a man by the name of Herbert Ladendorff who fancied Ilse but whom she could not stand. Ilse managed to arrange with Annie for Annie to go home with Herbert, eaving her free to walk home with Gerhard.
En route, Ilse and Gerhard passed a Chinese restuarnat and Gerhard invited her to have a meal there with him one evening very soon after.
