Erika Eleonora Stein

Quechee, Vt. — Erika Eleonora Stein, 91, a teacher of classical Russian ballet in the Upper Valley for 35 years, passed away on Monday, May 18, 2018. Her life mission was to “bring grace and beauty to the world.” She leaves a cadre of devoted friends and dance students who continued to care for her in her later years and miss her deeply. “Madame Stein,” as she was known to her students, nurtured a love of dance in many children and adults at her studios in New Jersey and later at the Eleonora Stein Academy in Quechee. In addition to ballet, she taught many other dance forms and choreographed for local high schools and community theater.

Eleonora was born in Budapest, Hungary on Aug. 16, 1926, to Joseph and Violet (Bardos) Riech. She began dancing at the age of two and graduated from a school of music and art in Budapest. She moved to New York with her family in 1938, just before the start of World War II. In NYC she continued to develop her artistic talents, graduating from LaGuardia High School of the Performing Arts.

A talented singer and dancer, Eleonora performed across the US and Canada and on cruise ships around the world. Proud moments include singing an aria as a coloratura soprano on the Arthur Godfrey show in the 1950s, performing and traveling with New York’s Roxy Theatre, and winning the Ms. Vermont Senior contest in 1985 at the age of 59. As an accomplished visual artist, she drew and painted throughout her life, including designing costumes and scenery for her recitals. Eleonora cherished the beauty around her, especially her beloved Vermont.

Eleonora’s greatest inspiration came from her childhood teacher, Maestro Semyon Troyanoff, who danced with the Maryinsky Ballet in St. Petersburg, Russia and partnered Anna Pavlova. When Maestro immigrated to the US, his mentorship of the young Eleonora grew into a lifelong friendship and professional collaboration. And she never forgot her roots, continuing to whip up favorite Hungarian dishes from her childhood until the end of her life.

She is survived by sons Adrian Stein and his wife Joann of New Brunswick, N.J., Haddon Stein and his wife Rosemary of Pennington, N.J.; and two granddaughters.

A celebration of Madame Stein’s life will be held by her friends and former students in mid-August when she would have turned 92.