Before the horrific limousine accident that took her life last July, 23-year-old Stephanie Belli loved to dance.
Her childhood was a whirlwind of dance lessons and competitions – jazz, ballet, tap, hip-hop. “She did everything,” said Diana Belli, Stephanie’s older sister. “She was a dancer her entire life.”
The fatal crash on Route 48 may have been robbed Stephanie of the chance to pursue her dreams, but students from her former kickline team at Smithtown High School West will now have a chance to live through her memory thanks to a new scholarship in Stephanie’s name.
A new dance competition in Smithtown will help fund the scholarship, bringing kickline teams across Long Island together for an informal competition and celebration of Stephanie’s life.
“She would be smiling from ear to ear if she knew,” Diana said in an interview yesterday. “I hope somewhere out there she knows.”
Stephanie and her friends were celebrating an upcoming wedding with a tour of wineries on the North Fork when they were involved in a terrible accident on July 18, 2015. The limousine carrying the eight young women attempted to make a U-turn on Route 48 when it was t-boned by a pickup truck driven by a Peconic man.
Four of the eight women were killed, all between the ages of 23 and 24. Stephanie Belli was one of them.
In the months following her death, her family has struggled to cope with her loss and the violent circumstances that took her. “We would wonder if she suffered,” Diana said. “She was always so scared of everything. When we flew to Florida last year I had to hold her hand the whole time. We used to say that Stephanie was the worst person this could have happened to.”
Stephanie had recently graduated from Farmingdale State with a business degree, and she had just started looking at schools to pursue a career in makeup design. “She had her whole life ahead of her,” Diana said. “It was very hard in the beginning.”
But as time has begun to soothe their mourning, Diana says she believes Stephanie has begun reaching out in other ways.
Stephanie’s twin sister Brittany, who was not involved in the accident, has seen signs of her twin all around her since Stephanie’s passing. Recently Diana has begun seeing those same signs as well.
“I truly do feel like she’s watching all of us,” she said. “I have very vivid dreams of her, that she’s here and that she wants us to know that she’s okay.”
Organizing the scholarship fundraiser has given Stephanie’s family a way to direct their grief into something positive. “It helps us as a family,” Diana said. “As tough as it is to get through, by doing these things in honor of her name, it helps us get through difficult moments.”
Stephanie’s former kickline coach, Tara Foglia, approached the family several weeks ago with the idea of a fundraiser competition and scholarship. Although Stephanie stopped dancing after graduating from high school in 2010, the Smithtown Whisperettes had a big impact on the person she grew into, Diana said.
“It helped her figure out who she was,” she said. “Tara was a big influence in her life at the time.”
She said Stephanie would be “truly honored” to know that she was being remembered in such a way.
“We’re really just trying to help people, because that’s what she would want,” Diana said.
The competition will be held Saturday January 30 at Smithtown High School West. In addition to the show, there will be raffle baskets donated from dozens of local businesses – including North Fork businesses Lucharito’s, the Village Cheese Shop and Magic Fountain.
“It’s an excuse to get together and celebrate Stephanie,” Diana said. “I know it would just make her so happy.”
Doors open for the event at 8 a.m. and the competition begins at 9 a.m. Admission is $5 at the door.
