Stephanie Bissonnette, ‘Mean Girls’ choreographer and dancer, dies at 32

Stephanie Bissonnette, dancer and choreographer, known for her role in the original. Broadway production of the musical “Mean Girls” died on Sunday. In 2019, Bissonnette was diagnosed with medulloblastoma, a rare brain cancer. according to her obituary in Afisha. She was 32 years old.

“Our hearts are broken as the Mean Girls community mourns the loss of Stephanie Bissonnette,” the post reads. message from the Broadway musical’s Twitter account on Sunday. “Our original Don Sweitzer [sic]Stephanie was part of our Broadway company from the first show to the last.”

“She filled our theater with her laughter and friendship, inspired us with her fighting spirit and courage, and graced our stage with the most ferocious talent Broadway has ever known,” the article reads. another tweet from the musical.

Bissonnette was played by Don Schweitzer, a character played by Erin Thompson. cult film of 2004. She performed the role from the first night of the production in 2018 to the last night in 2020. She also appeared in the music video for Keith Urbansong of the year 2018Never get downby E! News.

After graduating from the Point Park University Conservatory for the Performing Arts, Bissonnette worked for Royal Caribbean Entertainment and moved to New York. She has staged productions for the Muny, Seven and Riverside theaters, as well as for the Shakespeare Theater Company.

A Playbill obituary for Bissonnette notes that she “first became aware of what she described as a ‘tingle’ in her brain” during an “aerial acrobatic pass” she performed for the musical Mean Girls in 2019. Four days later, she underwent emergency surgery – and seemed to have recovered.

“I don’t think we would have found [the tumor] if I worked at a regular job from 9 to 5, Bissonnette told SurvivorNet. in February 2020.

“Because I move so much and make a living doing crazy stuff – I’ve been doing this since I was 5 years old – just [that] little moment in the show [made me go]”Why am I in trouble today? There must be something else,” Bissonnet told the website.

Medulloblastoma most commonly affects children and adults between the ages of 20 and 40. according to the Center for Cancer Research. The five-year survival rate is 72%, with treatment limited to surgery, radiation therapy, chemotherapy, and inclusion in clinical trials.

Bissonnette continued to act after surgery and radiation therapy. She was featured in the Ensemble documentary about Broadway dancers surviving the 2020 pandemic. She also taught musical theater dance at New York’s Broadway Dance Center.

In her free time, she has been involved in philanthropic projects such as When the Lights Come Again, a book about the COVID-19 shutdown, with proceeds going to the Entertainment Community Foundation. In his biography of a teacher at the Broadway Dance Center she called the office her second home.

“Our thoughts and prayers are with Stephanie’s family, friends and the entire Mean Girls community at this time,” tweet from Mean Girls account read on Sunday. “We will miss her dearly and encourage everyone to do something they love today in honor of Stephanie.”