Bettie de Jong (Rehearsal Director) was born in Sumatra, Indonesia, and in 1946 moved to Holland, where she continued her early training in dance and mime. Her first professional engagement was with the Netherlands Pantomime Company. After moving to New York City to study at the Martha Graham School, she performed with the Martha Graham Dance Company, Pearl Lang Dance Theater, John Butler, and Lucas Hoving, and was seen on CBS TV with Rudolf Nureyev in a duet choreographed by Paul Taylor. Bettie joined the Taylor Company in 1962. Noted for her strong stage presence and long line, she was Mr. Taylor’s favorite dancing partner and, as Rehearsal Director, has been his surrogate in the studio and on tour for more than 40 years. In 2019 she was awarded the Balasarawati/Joy Anne Dewey Beinecke Endowed Chair for Distinguished Teaching from the American Dance Festival for her substantial contributions to the sustainment of the Taylor legacy.

Photo credit: Bill Wadman