The dance world lost a beloved titan on July 12, 2025, when Charles “Charlie” Reinhart passed away at age 94. His extraordinary career in dance administration was transformative. Charlie was a strategic big-picture thinker whose leadership platforms enabled him to implement an expansive vision. To many of us, it felt like he was always there and always would be, to support, promote, and defend our field.
Reinhart at Duke University in 1985. Photo by Jay Anderson, courtesy ADF.
After becoming entranced by modern dance at a Paul Taylor rehearsal of Aureole, he managed Taylor’s company and other artists like Meredith Monk and Donald McKayle, tackling the challenges and needs of our discipline. For Charles, “modern dance” meant new, original approaches to movement for creative expression, regardless of genre or cultural origin. His iconic 43-year directorship of American Dance Festival, along with periods serving as artistic director at the Kennedy Center and Jacob’s Pillow, created performance and educational opportunities for countless American and international dance artists and companies.
Charlie’s work at the National Endowment for the Arts, where he developed the Dance Touring Program and coordinated the Artists-in-Schools program, had an equally profound impact, introducing dance to audiences across the country and cultivating a love of dance in the next generation. As a member of several modern dance companies in the 1970s and early ’80s, I personally benefited from both programs—in those days, months of national touring every year were a given.
Among Charles’ many honors are a Dance Magazine Award (with wife Stephanie, his co-director at ADF and Kennedy Center for years) and Dance/USA’s Lifetime Achievement Award. He served on the Dance Magazine Awards selection committee for the past 20 years, lauding our dance icons. But a list of his myriad accomplishments can’t quite capture the energetic, passionate, witty, generous, optimistic, fiercely principled nature that engendered such a mix of reverence and affection within the dance community. The personal reminiscences that follow may better convey the flavor of his character.
Reinhart at the 2024 Dance Magazine Awards. Photo by Emma Zordan.
My own is from 1995, when I was 92nd Street Y dance director. Board member Jody Arnhold and I gathered a group of dance luminaries, including Charles, to assess the need for an affordable dance-teacher development program at the Y. As the meeting closed, he asked us, “What do you really want to do?” Jody said, “I want to train dance teachers!” Charlie’s response: “Then do it!” The now-30-year-old Dance Education Laboratory was born soon thereafter. That same year, we presented Molissa Fenley’s stunning piece Regions in the nascent 92Y Harkness Dance Project festival. The venue, a small theater on East 91st Street, was obscure to dancegoers. Charlie came to the show and, noting the tiny audience, advised: “Joan, don’t despair, some nights it’ll be like this. The work is worth it. Take heart—forge ahead!” He gave me courage to continue, and the Y is still presenting dance. He was always there, and he saw the big picture in each instance.
Jodee Nimerichter, current ADF director and Charles’ protégé, says:
“Charles was a gift in my life: a mentor, colleague, friend—and, above all, a relentless cheerleader. Because of Charles, I was exposed to—and now get to support—the work of some of the most gifted dance artists of our time. Often, with that signature spark in his voice, Charles would say, ‘Did you hear about what Jodee is doing? It’s incredible!’ His belief in me was unwavering. Charles modeled what it truly means to pay it forward—by lifting others as he celebrated their achievements.”
This quality of championing others sparked the careers of many now world-renowned choreographers. Shen Wei was introduced to modern dance at China’s Guangdong Dance Academy, in a program co-sponsored by ADF; his choreography was first shown atADF in 1995, he formed his company, Shen Wei Dance Arts, at the festival five years later, and ADF has commissioned 13 of his works. He remembers Charles as a father figure:
“ ‘Make sure to do something good for yourself!’ Charles was always saying that to me, just like a father to his son. He knew how hard a working life I have and that since I was 8 years old, I have been living an artist’s life, traveling around the world. Every time I heard him saying that, it would calm me down and I’d feel his care and love. He always believed in me and supported my work and my dance company…It will take a long time for me to face the loss of my American father!”
Ronald K. Brown met Charles in 1991 as part of ADF’s Young Choreographers & Composers program. The following year he began a longstanding teaching tenure at the festival, which has presented his company, Evidence, repeatedly. He speaks of Charles’ practical mentorship:
“The relationship with Stephanie Reinhart and Charles is one that I treasure deeply. They both were very supportive and encouraging, but Charles and I spoke dance business on all levels. It was quite special to understand that he wanted to arm me with tools for success. He has been a powerful force in the world working with many artists, and was generous, and will be deeply missed. However, his impact is everlasting. In my grief there is tremendous gratitude and memories that I will treasure for the rest of my lifetime.”
Rosie Herrera, whose company, Rosie Herrera Dance Theatre, has appeared at ADF multiple times,credits Charles’ faith in her with ongoing personal and artistic growth:
“When I met Charles in 2009, I was carving a path through poverty, violence, and objectification, trying to make a life as an artist. Out of nowhere, this elegant and measured man told me that my ideas—my heart, this sacred private world of mine—were beautiful, important, and needed to be shared. His affirmation gave me something I didn’t know I needed so badly: to have my creativity interrogated and taken seriously. That support has seeped into so many corners of my psyche it’s impossible to articulate. It catalyzed a career for me, but, more importantly, it was the beginning of understanding what it truly feels like to be seen. To occupy someone’s mind, to affect, confound, or provoke—I never knew I had that power. But with his tenderness and presence, I believed him. What a profound gift that keeps on giving.”
Charlie cherished a longtime dream of creating a center for modern dance in New York City to house all the major modern dance companies and nurture emerging choreographers. That dream was never realized, but at age 85 he founded the organization 4A Arts (American Alliance of Artists and Audiences) with a mission to democratize, catalyze, and prioritize arts and culture in America. He never stopped working toward that big picture.
Carolyn Adams, a former longtime Taylor company star—Reinhart was at her audition in 1965—sums it up this way:
“Charlie and Paul were devoted friends and we dancers all felt he was part of the family, through thick and thin. Charlie ‘saw’ people and their worth, and he envisioned the growth of our art form. He helped lead the charge with an iron will and a tender heart. So many of us grew up and old with him. It’s been a glorious and productive journey with lots of fun and laughter. Thank you, Charlie!
Love,
Everybody”
GIPHY App Key not set. Please check settings