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The dance pioneer suffered a stroke Tuesday and died in a Pasadena nursing facility yesterday. Born here, she formed her famous dance company in 1966. Her presence in the Los Angeles arts scene was felt for 60 years, as the Times obituary by Lewis Segal details.
Lewitzky served as vice chairwoman of the National Endowment for the Arts dance panel and was an appointee to the California Arts Council. In 1984, she produced the unusually diverse and groundbreaking dance component of the 10-week Olympic Arts Festival in Los Angeles...To her dancers and supporters, Lewitzky was "an extraordinary and rare role model, a powerful woman who was every bit as strong as the men in society," said Loretta Livingston, one of the most prominent Lewitzky company members and an acclaimed director of her own locally based ensemble.
Called before the House Un-American Activities Committee in 1951 to say who in the art world might be a communist, Lewitzky repled: "I'm a dancer, not a singer."
The republicans were as rapid about commies in the 1950s as the Bushies are now about liberals. Both use the same smear-and-scare tactics.
Posted by: Bob at July 17, 2004 11:09 AMOh God.
Another opportunity for Cathy Seipp to bash a dead Communist. Well, she's busy over at Volokh's page so manybe she won't notice.
Posted by: Rodger Jacobs at July 17, 2004 12:37 PMYes, remember Bella's vision for the Dance Gallery 25 years ago, and look at downtown LA today. She was a vital force in creating a vibrant and active arts community in Los Angeles. And remember, it was not conceived as just a "dance space" but also a school, archive, library, formal and informal performance space. Walk past Disney Hall, to Red Cat, to Moma, to the Coburn School for the performing arts, and you can see how the Dance Gallery would have have succeeded if given the chance.
Posted by: B at July 21, 2004 07:56 AM
of LA Observed
Remember Bella's ill-fated Dance Gallery? I was the first PR director for it and her director, the late Darleen Neal. Bella was charming, but the whole idea of a performing space for dance and dance alone was doomed.
Posted by: KateCoe at July 17, 2004 10:13 AMFun fact: one of my first duties was writing a letter to the Herald protesting Sasha Anawalt's departure.