Group Motion began in Philadelphia in 1968 as a contemporary modern dance company, pioneering the art form of multi-media dance theater. Originally founded in 1962 by Brigitta Herrmann, Hellmut Gottschild and Katharina Sehnert as a chamber dance company evolving from the Mary Wigman School of Dance, Gruppe Motion Berlin was one of very few modern dance companies in Germany at the time, performing throughout Germany and Europe. In 1967, the company was joined by Manfred Fischbeck for the creation of Countdown for Orpheus, their first multi-media production. In 1968, under the direction of Brigitta Hermann, Helmut Gottschild, and Manfred Fischbeck, the company relocated to Philadelphia and quickly received critical recognition by making historic appearances at Judson Church in New York in 1968, Jacob’s Pillow Dance Festival in 1969, as well as joining the National Endowment for the Arts touring program in the 1970s. Gottschild left the company to found Zero Moving Company, while Fischbeck and Herrmann continued as co-directors. In 1972, Herrmann and Fischbeck created the Group Motion Workshop, an outgrowth of their work with Group Motion Multi Media Dance Theater.