Bella Rebecca Lewitzky (January 13, 1916 – July 16, 2004) was an American modern dance choreographer, dancer and teacher.

Throughout her over 70-year career, Lewitzky asserted her independence as an artist and a teacher, repeatedly confronting major institutions and the federal government in the process.

Lewitzky's unique technique emphasized seriousness and stability, extending to both the movements performed by her dancers and the approach she took to operating her company.

[1] Bella Rebecca Lewitzky was born on January 13, 1916, in Llano del Rio, California, a short-lived utopian community in the Antelope Valley led by Socialists.

Llano del Rio disbanded in 1918, and the family moved back to Los Angeles, the birthplace of Bella's older sister Sarah.

San Bernardino did not offer the artistic opportunities of either Llano del Rio or Los Angeles, but it was where Joseph could sustain the family.

Following the hearing, Lewitzky famously told the news media "I am a dancer, not a singer,"[10] poetically refusing to "sing" names to the committee.

In 1956, Lewitzky became the founding chair of the dance department at the Idyllwild School of Music and the Arts, continuing her affiliation until 1972.

The Idyllwild Arts Academy is one of the few dance programs in the United States that offers Lewitzky Technique as part of their curriculum.

[citation needed] Lewitzky was the founder of the dance program at California Institute of the Arts (CalArts) in the late 1960s and early 1970s.

[14] A major component of Lewitzky's legacy was to be the Dance Gallery, a new facility in California Plaza that would integrate studios and a 1000-seat theater.

[24] The records of the Bella Lewitzky Dance Company are held at the University of Southern California Music Library.