Bella Lewitzky
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Bella Lewitzky (January 13, 1916 in Los Angeles, California - July 16, 2004 in Pasadena, California) was a modern dance choreographer.
Born to Russian immigrants, Lewitzky spent her childhood in a utopian socialist colony in the Mojave Desert, and on a ranch in San Bernardino. She moved back to Los Angeles in her teens, and studied ballet.
In 1934, she joined Lester Horton's company, and became its lead dancer. There, she met Newell Taylor Reynolds; they married in 1940. She choreographed the films Bagdad (1949), Tripoli (1950), and Prehistoric Women (1950), and started her own company in 1966.
In 1951, she was subpoenaed by the House Un-American Activities Committee to answer questions about communist activities in the arts. "I'm a dancer, not a singer," she replied.
In 1991, she successfully sued the National Endowment for the Arts to keep its grant after she crossed out the anti-obscenity clause in her contract, arguing that artists ought to have the right to produce work that may be viewed as obscene.
