Stenn, Rebecca
STENN, REBECCA
STENN, REBECCA , U.S. modern dancer and choreographer. She was born in Ohio and spent her childhood in Canada studying with Deanne Shorten; she later studied at the Juilliard School. As a member of Momix Dance Theater from 1989 to 1995, she toured extensively throughout Europe, the Far East, and the Americas and appeared as a feature performer in films for Italian, Spanish, and French television. She assisted in the choreography and performed in the Emmy award winning film Pictures at an Exhibition. In 1996 Stenn formed The Perks Dance Music Theater, a company performing with a live band on stage, integrating the musicians and their instruments. The Perks' repertoire includes over 30 works using original music ranging from funk/rock to ethnic and to the classically inspired; its Left of Fall (2003) is a contemporary choreographic and musical interpretation of the 1913 ballet The Rite of Spring. Improvisation has always been a strong force in her work. In 1990 she established the first improvisational group for Lincoln Center Institute. She collaborated with Moses Pendelton in the making of Passion to the music of Peter Gabriel, and assisted him in the choreography of Lina Wertmuller's Carmen at the Munich State Opera, also performing as a principal dancer. She also collaborated on a multimedia piece for the Copenhagen Festival 96, with Japanese and Danish musicians and dancers. Stenn was a contributing editor of Dance magazine and wrote for the International Journal of Dance.
[Amnon Shiloah (2nd ed.)]