​2022 CHITA RIVERA AWARD WINNERS
  
BROADWAY
 
OUTSTANDING CHOREOGRAPHY IN A BROADWAY SHOW                  
**Bill T. Jones, Garrett Coleman, Jason Oremus, Paradise Square    
     
OUTSTANDING MALE DANCER IN A BROADWAY SHOW (tie)
**Myles Frost, MJ the Musical
**Jared Grimes, Funny Girl                                         
 
OUTSTANDING FEMALE DANCER IN A BROADWAY SHOW
**Tendayi Kuumba, for colored girls who have considered suicide/ when the rainbow is enuf
                                                           
OUTSTANDING ENSEMBLE IN A BROADWAY SHOW
**for colored girls who have considered suicide/ when the rainbow is enuf
 
OFF BROADWAY SPECIAL RECOGNITIONS
The 2022 Chita Rivera Awards celebrated excellence in Off-Broadway musical theater by presenting two special awards.
 
OUTSTANDING CHOREOGRAPHY IN AN OFF BROADWAY SHOW
**Josh Prince, Trevor 
 
OUTSTANDING ENSEMBLE IN AN OFF BROADWAY SHOW
**The Wrong Man
  
CHOREOGRAPHY IN FILM
 
OUTSTANDING CHOREOGRAPHY FOR A THEATRICAL RELEASE
 
**tick… tick… Boom!
Choreographer: Ryan Heffington; (Associate Choreographer: Ryan Spencer)
  
OUTSTANDING DIRECTION OF A DOCUMENTARY RELEASE (tie)
**First Try
Director: Josh Prince
 
**Maurice Hines: Bring Them Back
Director: John Carluccio

​Read more here

​Hsueh-Tung CHEN
June 23, 1947 - June 12, 2022

From Audrey Ross: 
It is with great sadness that I report that on Sunday, June 12, 2022, Hsueh-Tung Chen passed away at the age of 74. H.T. Chen was a loving husband, father and well-known NYC based choreographer.

Born in Shanghai, China and raised in Taipei, Taiwan with his 5 siblings, H.T. moved to New York City to study modern dance. In 1976 he graduated from the Juilliard School, and in 1978 he received an MA in Dance Education from NYU.

At Juilliard, he met his wife, muse and collaborator, Dian Dong. Martha Hill, the director of the Juilliard Dance Division, insisted that Dian be H.T.’s translator, which began many years of working side by side. Together they created Chen Dance Center, a vibrant cultural center in Chinatown, NY which housed a dance company, theater space and dance school: H.T. Chen & Dancers, Arts Gate Center and Mulberry St. Theater, respectively. Plans for restoring the building are underway after a devastating fire, and classes and rehearsals have been relocated. H.T and Dian’s daughters continue the family tradition in the arts with Evelyn performing with Sleep No More and Yeeli working in arts administration.

As a choreographer, H.T. created contemporary dances through the lens of social justice as well as on traditional or personal themes. Laura Molzan of Broadway World wrote of Chen’s recent work South of Gold Mountain, that it “shed a light on the untold stories of immigrants that are far more common than foreign, and that light shone brilliantly.” Jennifer Dunning of The New York Times spoke more broadly: “Mr. Chen has long been one of New York dance's most persuasive storytellers, addressing issues of acculturation well before they become fashionable in dance.”

In addition to choreography, H.T. was an advocate for the performing arts - serving on numerous arts panels. He believed in the transformative power of the arts to lift the human spirit. His company conducted extensive educational programming and outreach in communities nationwide as well as in Europe and Asia. He received numerous awards and recognition for his work, including a BESSIE Special Citation, a Lifetime Achievement Award from the Organization of Chinese Americans, and Mid-Career Award from the Martha Hill Dance Fund. 

H.T. was passionate about gardening, coin collecting and befriending every dog in sight. He possessed a childlike wonder and approach to life which led him to see beauty and art in everything and everyone he crossed paths with. He planted seeds of art wherever he was so that the arts will continue to thrive in the next generations.

H.T. Chen is survived by his wife Dian, two daughters, three siblings, as well as numerous nieces & nephews, friends & family.

A celebration of his life is being planned for the Fall. 

​Read more here

​Torya Beard is the inaugural awardee for the Creative & Independent Producer Alliance (CIPA) and the Association of Performing Arts Professionals (APAP)!

​Established in 2022 by APAP and CIPA, the CIPA Award for Outstanding Achievement in Creative Producing (Creative Producing Award) recognizes a US-based Independent Creative Producer working in the live performing arts, whose inventive spirit in the independent sector and body of work have had a significant impact on the field of performing arts, an artist(s), and/or a body of work--

Read more here

​PHILADANCO! Selected for National Arts Initiative Funded by The Wallace Foundation.
​
Wallace Foundation’s five-year, $100 million initiative focuses on the relationship between community orientation, resilience, and relevance
 
The Philadelphia Dance Company (PHILADANCO!) has been selected to participate in the first phase of The Wallace Foundation’s new five-year arts initiative focused on arts organizations of color[1], created as part of the foundation’s efforts to foster equitable improvements in the arts. Following an open call in 2021 that drew over 250 applicants, PHILADANCO! was selected as one of 18 nonprofit organizations representing dance and a diverse range of artistic disciplines, geographic locations, and communities served. Alongside the other selected organizations, PHILADANCO! will receive five years of funding to develop and pursue a project to address a strategic challenge. Researchers will document each organization’s work with the aim of developing useful insights about the relationship between community orientation, resilience, and relevance.
 
“We are very honored to be one of two dance companies invited to be part of the initiative,” states Joan Myers Brown, PHILADANCO!’s Founder and Executive Artistic Advisor. “We are looking forward to working with the wonderful cohort of organizations to explore and address issues that affect us all, such as succession, changing community needs, resilience, and sustainability.”

​Read more here

*********

PHILADANCO! RECEIVES 3.5 YEAR GRANT AWARD FROM THE MELLON FOUNDATION

$850,000 Grant will Support Staff Expansion, New Programming, Archive Preservation and Upgrade of its Philadelphia Headquarters

The Philadelphia Dance Company (PHILADANCO!) is excited and honored to announce the awarding of a 3.5 year grant from the Mellon Foundation to support staff expansion, new programming, the cataloging and preservation of archives, and the upgrade and renovation of the company’s University City headquarters and nearby residential apartments.  The $850,000 grant, one of the largest investments in the 52-year-old dance company’s history, provides essential resources that will allow PHILADANCO! to invest in its staff to maintain its dance excellence and innovation, build out its educational and community programming, and preserve its legacy of artistic achievement and leadership that has been built over the last five decades.

PHILADANCO! Founder and Executive Artistic Advisor Joan Myers Brown states “The Mellon Foundation has been one of the most important partners of PHILADANCO! and Black dance companies in America, valuing the work we do to commission, perform, and preserve works by African American choreographers and other artists of color and to be an important incubator of emerging talent from all walks of life. We are honored that the Foundation has chosen to make this significant investment in PHILADANCO!’s artistic and educational future which includes preserving our history and enhancing the role we can plan in our various communities.”

​Read more here

FROM THE FOLKS AT THE 92Y:

92Y announces 21 finalists for the 2022 Future Dance Festival. Created by Harkness Dance Center director Taryn Kaschock Russell, the Future Dance Festival is a choreographic competition aiming to give new creators an opportunity to showcase their work. Conceived as a virtual showcase in 2021 when 92Y’s building was closed due to the pandemic, this year’s festival includes two virtual-only programs and an in-person program on the stage of Kaufmann Concert Hall as part of the Harkness Dance Center’s 2021-22 Mainstage Series. Each program includes seven works , with panelists Kyle Abraham, Janet Eilber, Jennifer Stahl, Jessica Tong, Michelle Manzanales, Melanie Person and Duke Dang choosing three finalists apiece.

Two Virtual-Only Programs Stream
Friday, May 20 – Sunday, May 22

In-Person Program at the 92nd Street Y as part of the Harkness Mainstage Series
Thursday, May 26, 8 pm 
Streaming Friday, May 27- Sunday, May 29

Find out more here

UBW 2022 APPRENTICESHIP PROGRAM:

With support from The New York Community Trust (NYCT) Van Lier Fellowship program, Urban Bush Women (UBW) will provide one-year dance apprenticeships to Black women+ over the course of three years. UBW Apprenticeship Program includes a wide range of activities, benefits, and rigorous evaluation to support each artist’s development.

The UBW Apprenticeship Program 2022 NYCT Van Lier Fellows: (pictured from L-R) Kentoria Earle, Ziiomi Law, Makeda-Lily Love-Roney, and Shayla Taylor.
​
​Read more here

FROM THE FOLKS AT 651 ARTS:

651 ARTS, like many other arts organizations across the nation, has faced many challenges over the past 2 ½ years. We have also faced these challenges while continuing to provide an artistic home for many NYC based artists, offering hybrid programming to/for our community, and planning for our future within the Brooklyn cultural district. I’d like to acknowledge and thank our indefatigable staff, our fantastic suite of consultants, and the mighty family of artists that have helped to steer the organization since the departure of 651 ARTS’s former Executive Director, David Roberts in November.

To that end, it is with immense pleasure that I write to announce that Toya Lillard has been named Interim Executive Director of 651 ARTS! Toya comes to 651 ARTS as a seasoned thought leader, arts administrator, educator, artist and arts activist living and working in Brooklyn, New York. Prior to joining 651 ARTS, Toya was Executive Director of viBe Theater Experience, a Brooklyn-based arts organization that centers the art and lived experiences of Black girls, young women, and gender expansive youth. Toya will serve as Interim Executive Director as 651 ARTS prepares for an exciting next chapter, which includes a search for a permanent Executive Director and moving into our new and first home situated within the L10 Cultural Condominium located at 10 Lafayette. Our space is 12,500 square feet (about twice the area of a basketball court), and will house a black box theater, digital suite, rehearsal studios, conference rooms and administrative offices!  

Read more here

From Lili Chopra:

It is on this high note that I have decided now is the right time for me to step down as President of the organization. After four incredible years at LMCC and almost 25 years in New York City, I plan to set roots in France in the near-term. I will, however, continue to serve as a Special Advisor to the Board to support a smooth transition in leadership.

Read more about LMCC here