Stephanie Reinhart 1944–2002

Stephanie Reinhart joined her husband, Charles, at the helm of the American Dance Festival in 1977, just before it left Connecticut College for its current home at Duke University. Between that time and her death from leukemia last week, the pair were instrumental in exposing Americans to dance from around the globe, and in bringing our dance styles to far-flung places. In 1990 they invited me to India to witness a festival of world dance, during which veteran American modern dancers tried to get young South Asian students to lie on the floor, a key process in relaxation and technical preparation. The young artists were having none of this; uprightness was central to their understanding of dance. But the Reinharts persevered, and now a generation of young East Indian choreographers is innovating both in the West and at home. For her gracious and creative ways with artists and audiences, and her passion for many forms of dance, she will be much missed.