"Her strong focus and conviction belied her fragile countenance, and her dedication to and support of the art of dance knew no bounds, certainly not the man-made borders between countries and cultures. Stephanie was an intrepid ambassador of dance to the world, bringing exchanges of life-affirming art and love where all too often the only capital of such exchanges has been differences of opinion and weapons of war. Her contribution to creating through the ADF an idyllic global village of dance can not be underestimated.

Wherever there are people dancing, whether in an outdoor circle, a black box theater with folding chairs and cushions on the floor, or an opulent opera house, Stephanie is there uniting what may seem disparate points of view into a singular world of physical and spiritual expression." -Jim Sutton, ADF Faculty

Stephanie Reinhart died September 23, 2002 at the age of 58. She began working at the American Dance Festival as Director of Planning and Development in 1977 and became Co-Director, with Charles L. Reinhart, in 1993, as well as Co-Artistic Director for Dance at the Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts in 1996.

Ms. Reinhart was honored by the French government with a Chevalier dans l'Ordre des Arts et Lettres for her contribution to French dance, and received an Emmy as Co-Executive Producer of the PBS series Free to Dance as well as a Dance Magazine Award. Her long career in dance and arts administration began in 1969 at the National Endowment for the Arts where she became Program Administrator for the Education program, and subsequently Program Administrator for the Dance program.

Ms. Reinhart traveled world-wide selecting modern dance companies to introduce to the American public at the American Dance Festival and lecturing on modern dance and arts administration, most recently in Argentina and Moscow. In 1983, with funding from the United States Information Agency, she and Charles Reinhart spent two months traveling around the world giving lectures on the history of the art form. Her travels to France with Mr. Reinhart in 1982, at the invitation of the Festival of Dance in Aix-en-Provence, resulted in a festival of French modern dance at the ADF, marking the first introduction of the art form to American audiences.

Ms. Reinhart served as a panelist for the Kentucky and North Carolina State Arts Councils, as a consultant and board member of Martha Clarke's Crowsnest dance company and was president of the board of directors of Laura Dean Dancers and Musicians. She served as a member of the Dance Notation Bureau's Professional Advisory Committee, and in 1999 she and Charles Reinhart received the Dance Notation Bureau Service Award.

In 1975, the National Endowment for the Arts published Ms. Reinhart's article on sculptor Ruth Asawa and her community art program. Ms. Reinhart also contributed to the books "East Meets West in Dance: Voices in the Cross-Cultural Dialogue" and "Dancing Female: Lives and Issues of Women in Contemporary Dance."

An honors graduate of the University of Wisconsin in Cultural History in 1966, Ms. Reinhart received a fellowship for graduate studies in American Literary and Cultural History from George Washington University (1966-67). She attended the Harvard University summer Institute in Arts Administration in 1974. Her prior experience also includes several years on the staff of Congressman Robert W. Kastenmeier.

In addition to her husband, Charles L. Reinhart, Ms. Reinhart is survived by her daughter Ariane Malia Reinhart, her mother Florence Keren, as well as by three stepsons: Dr. Adam Reinhart of Washington, DC, Taylor Reinhart of Los Angeles, CA, and Scott Reinhart of Geneseo, NY, as well as three step grandchildren: Chelsea, Taylor and Jeremy Reinhart.

 

In honor of Ms. Reinhart, the ADF/Stephanie Reinhart Fund for New Works and Scholarship was established in 2003.