Amy Sue Rosen.

Amy Sue Rosen, a choreographer noted for her haunting imagery, died of cancer in February 2003 at age 47. Born in Baltimore, she graduated from the University of Arizona, Tucson, where she was influenced by Bill Evans. Later she toured France in a show called Swingin' and Stompin' and taught swing dancing at clubs in the late 1970s and early '80s. Derek Bernstein, her partner in life and work, said, "Amy was one hell of a social dancer, particularly Western swing." She also showed her choreography in downtown New York, starting in Richard Bull's studio in TriBeCa. For the last twenty years she and Bernstein, a visual artist, created spare, dreamlike collaborative works at American Dance Festival, The Yard, and other dance centers (see New York Notebook, DANCE MAGAZINE, August, page 21). Rosen was named Scripps/ADF Humphrey-Weidman-Limon fellow in 1995. Bernstein plans to establish a foundation in Rosen's honor that seeks to bridge the gap between dance artists and critics.