Inspirational Quotations

Inspirational Quotes by Bella Lewitzky (American Choreographer)

Bella Lewitzky (1916–2004) was an American dancer and choreographer. A maverick in the world of modern dance, she is celebrated as a preeminent performer, choreographer, artistic director, educator, public speaker, and civic activist.

Born to Russian-Jewish immigrants in Los Angeles, Lewitzky began her career with Lester Horton’s company. She appeared as a specialty dancer in the 1943 Technicolor adventure film White Savage, and she choreographed the films Bagdad (1949,) Tripoli (1950,) and Prehistoric Women (1950.)

Lewitzky formed the Bella Lewitzky Dance Company in Los Angeles in 1966; she danced until 1978. Until she disbanded it in 1997, it was one of the leading international modern dance companies. She created works such as “On the Brink of Time” (1969,) “Kinaesonata” (1970,) and “Greening” (1976.)

Besides being an influential modern dance figure who worked to establish contemporary dance as a prominent art form and pushed for government support for the arts, Lewitzky also was a champion of artistic freedom. In 1990, she mounted a successful legal challenge against the National Endowment for the Arts after it instituted a requirement that grant recipients sign an anti-obscenity pledge.

More: Wikipedia READ: Works by Bella Lewitzky

Great control of every motion and placement is a kind of self-care. It’s self-love in the best sense. I make a contract with the dancers (not literally, of course) to keep them alive and well and progressive—doing level best to see that they’re not injured. Dancing is not normal, that only a strong, knowledgeable body can protect against damage.
Bella Lewitzky

Making social comment is an artificial place for an artist to start from. If an artist is touched by some social condition, what the artist creates will reflect that, but you can’t force it.
Bella Lewitzky
Topics: Artists, Arts, Art

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