1984 – Los Angeles, California
Bella Lewitzky, artistic director and principal choreographer for the Bella Lewitzky Dance Company, was born in the California Mojave Desert. She co-founded the Dance Theatre in Los Angeles and founded Dance Assoiciates, a school and performing concert group. In 1966, she formed the Bella Lewitzky Company, which has toured extensivley in the United States and abroad. Bella Lewitzky has been the recipient of a John Simon Guggenheim Memorial Foundations Fellowship, the annual Dance Magazine Award and commissions from the National Endowment for the Arts. She has been actively involved with the development of dance in the United States and served as a board member and advisor for several national arts organizations. Some of these include: founding Dean of the School of Dance, California Institute of the Arts; dance chairperson, Idylllwild Arts Foundation; national advisory board for Young Audiences; consultant for the National Humanities Faculty; Board of Trustees, National Foundation for the Advancement of the Arts; Board of Trustees, Lake Placid Center for the Arts; board of directors, Arts, Education and Americans, Inc.; and an honorary member of UNESCO’s International Dance Association. In 1983, she was appointed to the California Arts Council. (Deceased, 2004)
