Born on October 4th 1917 in Chicago, the son of a rabbi and the youngest 
of six children, Harry began his artistic pursuits with trombone lessons 
while still in grade school. As a teenager, a free ticket to a ballet performance 
changed his life forever. He began dance lessons, which eventually brought him 
to New York City where he performed as a soloist with the Graff Concert 
Ballet before serving in the Army Air Corps. Upon his return from Burma where he 
received three battle stars and a Presidential Unit Citation for his active 
service from 1941 to 1946, he continued to pursue his studies in dance. He was 
accepted to the Julliard School where he studied with Margaret Craske, Martha 
Graham, Anthony Tudor, Louis Horst and Jose' Limon and was the first male 
dancer to graduate from the school. He received a graduate degree in dance from 
New York University and continued his studies of dance with Alwin Nikolai, among 
others. Mr. Bernstein pursued his career in dance, performing with the 
Chicago Ballet Company, the Hanya Holm Dance Company, the Doris Humphrey Repertory 
Company, Ballet American, and Henry Street Playhouse.

      In addition to his active career as both a modern and ballet dancer and 
soloist, Mr. Bernstein is known to the dance world as a choreographer, a 
prominent dance critic, and most significantly, as the former chairman of the 
dance department at Adelphi University in Garden City. He began his writing career 
in 1953 when he took the position as editor and critic of the Dance Observer 
which he kept until 1964. At this juncture, Mr. Bernstein had already begun 
his commendable and lengthy career as professor of dance beginning with a two 
year stint at Elmira College in 1954. In 1956, he took a position at Adelphi 
University in which he served as   Professor until his retirement in 1988. In 
1959, Mr. Bernstein was appointed chairman of the Dance department, a post which 
he kept until 1972. During his chairmanship, he continued to choreograph 
substantial works for concert stage, ballet, opera and musical comedy, many of 
which were performed at the Adelphi theater by students and faculty members. Also 
during Mr. Bernstein's chairmanship, the dance department at Adelphi grew and 
flourished, turning out scores of students who later became prominent on the 
arts scene as dancers and instructors of dance, and claiming national 
reputation through its renowned faculty including Viola Farber, Paul Taylor, and Bunty 
Kelley, the former soloist with Sadler Wells (Royal Ballet) and Agnes De Mille 
Dance Theater who later became his wife and lifetime partner.

      Mr. Bernstein was also dance consultant for Choice, a long -time member 
of the Advisory Panel on the Dance of the National Council on the Arts, and 
contributed to the Encyclopedia   Americana. He was the founding member and 
vice chairman of the American College Dance Festival from 1971 to 1933, serving 
on the Executive Committee from 1973 to 1976. Mr Bernstein served on the 
Advisory Panel of Dance for the National Endowment for the Arts from 1965 to 1971. 
He also served as Chairman of the Dance Committee and member of the Board of 
Directors Executive Committee for the Long Island Arts Festival from 1962 to 
1965.

     Mr. Bernstein is survived by his wife, Bunty Kelley Bernstein; his 
daughter, flutist and composer, Margaret Jean Bernstein; his grandson, Julian 
Jacobs; and several nieces and nephews. As a memorial, a special tribute concert 
featuring the dance and musical performances and choreography of his former 
students and accompanists was presented on October 30th at the 
Adelphi University's Olmsted Theater as a tribute to Mr. Bernstein's life and 
contribution to the Arts. Donations can be made to the Fresh Air Fund and to 
the Julliard School's scholarship program in his name. Contributions will also 
be accepted at the memorial for the new Performing Arts Center at Adelphi 
University.