Stephanie Dabney

Stephanie Renee Dabney (July 11, 1958 – September 28, 2022) was an American dancer who performed as a prima ballerina with Dance Theatre of Harlem from 1979 through 1994.

Early life Born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania into a military family, Dabney was raised in Youngstown, Ohio where she began her ballet training at Ballet Western Reserve at the age of 4. The following year, Dance Theatre of Harlem conducted a residency in her town, during which Dabney enrolled in a masterclass with the company. Arthur Mitchell, co-founder and artistic director of DTH, observed her in class and invited her to study at his school in New York.

However, after one week at The Ailey School she realized that she preferred ballet to modern dance and decided to transfer to Dance Theatre Harlem's school. Three months later, in 1975, she joined the company as an apprentice under the name Stephanie Baxter. Dabney received ecstatic reviews from the three leading dance critics at The New York Times, Anna Kisselgoff, Jennifer Dunning, and Jack Anderson, for her performance. From that point onward, "Stephanie Baxter" was billed as "Stephanie Dabney". Two years later, Dabney was invited to perform as the Firebird alongside DTH as part of the opening ceremony of The 1984 Summer Olympics in Los Angeles.

Over the course of her career with DTH, Dabney was celebrated for her performances in a wide range of repertory that included: George Balanchine's Concerto Barocco, The Four Temperaments, and Allegro Brilliante, Glenn Tetley's Voluntaries, Arthur Mitchell's Manifestations, Ruth Page and Bentley Stone's Frankie and Johnny, Billy Wilson's Concerto in F, and Frederic Franklin's Swan Lake & Creole Giselle.

Retirement In 1990 Dabney was diagnosed with HIV. In 1996, following a year long battle with opportunistic infections, she formally retired from performing. Since retirement she has taught ballet at Spelman College. Dabney died at a nursing home in Manhattan, New York City on September 28, 2022, from cardiopulmonary arrest at the age of 64. She also taught ballet at the Dekalb Center for the Performing Arts at Avondale High School before the school name was changed to the Dekalb School of the Arts.