Performer, choreographer, director, and multi-disciplinary artist Francesca Harper has been appointed Artistic Director of Ailey II, the Ailey organization’s acclaimed company of young dancers. Ms. Harper will assume her duties on September 7, 2021, and will immediately begin preparing for Ailey II’s return to the stage. Ailey II’s 2021-2022 season will kick off in December with participation in Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater’s annual season at New York City Center, in which Ailey II will perform in Mr. Ailey’s classic Memoria, and will continue with the company’s own 2022 New York City season March 23-April 3 at The Ailey Citigroup Theater, as well as a U.S. tour.

Read more here

FROM THE FOLKS AT THE BESSIES:

​The NY Dance and Performance Awards, The Bessies, New York City’s premier dance awards honoring outstanding creative work in the field, today announced the nominees for the 2021 Bessie Awards. Digital performances presented between March 15, 2020 and May 31, 2021, and in-person performances presented between June 1, 2020 and May 31, 2021, were considered for Bessie nominations. Award categories include Outstanding Production, Outstanding Performer, Outstanding Revival, Outstanding Music Composition or Sound Design, Outstanding Visual Design, and Outstanding Breakout Choreographer, which recognizes an artist who has made an exceptional leap in visibility and impact in their career this past season. The list of nominations follows.
 
“Dance artists and their collaborators have continued to dream and build during the pandemic. They have called upon each of us to reimagine and commit our collective movement toward equity, justice, and healing. We are thrilled to celebrate their work and the resilience of our community at the virtual 2021 Bessies Ceremony,“ said Bessies Executive Director Heather Robles.
 
The 37th Annual Bessie Awards ceremony will be livestreamed on Monday, October 11, 2021, at 7:30PM ET. Reservations for the ceremony will be available starting September 20, through donation.
 
The 2021 Bessie Award Nominations
 
Outstanding Production:
 
Kyle Abraham
When We Fell
New York City Ballet at the David H. Koch Theater
 
Kyle Abraham and Taylor Stanley
Ces noms que nous portons
New York City Ballet and Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts
 
Stefanie Batten Bland
Kolonial
Baryshnikov Arts Center
 
mayfield brooks
Whale Fall
Abrons Arts Center
 
Ayodele Casel
Chasing Magic
The Joyce Theater
 
Janessa Clark
Communion
Janessa Clark and HERE Arts Center
 
Johnnie Cruise Mercer
_AShadowPrince
Presented through Stephen Petronio Company's Bloodlines(future) program
 
Israel Galván
Maestro de Barra
The Joyce Theater
 
Indigenous Enterprise
Indigenous Enterprise: Powwow Style
The Joyce Theater
 
Eiko Otake
A Body in a Cemetery
Pioneer Works and Green-Wood Cemetery
 
Mariana Valencia
Brownout
Baryshnikov Arts Center
 
Saul Williams, Bill T. Jones, Maria Bauman, Kayla Farrish, Marjani Forté-Saunders,
d. Sabela grimes, Jasmine Hearn, and Shamel Pitts
The Motherboard Suite
New York Live Arts
 
Outstanding Performer:
 
LaTasha Barnes
Sustained Achievement
 
Isabella Boylston
Sustained Achievement with American Ballet Theatre
 
Marc Crousillat
Watermotor by Trisha Brown
The Joyce Theater
 
d. Sabela grimes
The Motherboard Suite, We get what you deserve
New York Live Arts
 
Jasmine Hearn
The Motherboard Suite, Order of Time
New York Live Arts
 
Princess Lockerooo
Sustained Achievement
 
Sara Mearns
State of Darkness by Molissa Fenley
The Joyce Theater
 
Anjali Mehta
Descent by Anjali Mehta
The Artivist’s Studio and Lion Party Films
 
Annique Roberts
Sustained Achievement with Ronald K. Brown/EVIDENCE
 
Nicholas Sciscione
Bloodlines Season 7 by Stephen Petronio Company
The Joyce Theater
 
Michael Trusnovec
State of Darkness by Molissa Fenley
The Joyce Theater
 
Huiwang Zhang
OUR LABYRINTH by Lee Mingwei/Bill T. Jones
The Metropolitan Museum of Art
 
Outstanding Revival:
 
State of Darkness
By Molissa Fenley
The Joyce Theater
 
Watermotor
By Trisha Brown
Trisha Brown Dance Company
The Joyce Theater
 
Outstanding Music Composition/Sound Design:
 
Monstah Black
For _AShadowPrince by Johnnie Cruise Mercer
Presented through Stephen Petronio Company's Bloodlines(future) program
 
Pedro León and Manu Prieto
For Maestro de Barra by Israel Galván
The Joyce Theater
 
Arturo O’Farrill, Crystal Monee Hall (singer/songwriter), Annastasia Victory (music director and composer), and Senfu Stoney (percussionist)
For Chasing Magic by Ayodele Casel
The Joyce Theater
 
Saul Williams
For The Motherboard Suite
New York Live Arts
 
Outstanding Visual Design:
 
Kyle Abraham (Director), Ryan Marie Helfant (Director & Director of Photography), Eric K. Yue (Director of Photography), and Esteban Pedraza (Editor)
When We Fell by Kyle Abraham
New York City Ballet at the David H. Koch Theater
 
Tei Blow and Sean McElroy
Visuals
The Sprezzaturameron by Tei Blow and Sean McElroy
Baryshnikov Arts Center
 
Conrad Quesen (installation) and Shane Ballard (costumes)
Kolonial by Stefanie Batten Bland
Baryshnikov Arts Center
 
Catalin Stelian (Director of Photography, Cinematography, Editor), Kofi Assane Opare
(Cinematography), and Kweku Amantey Opare (Editor)
Steel Standing by Fritzlyn Hector
DanceAfrica 2021
Brooklyn Academy of Music


Outstanding Breakout Choreographer:
 
Hope Boykin
 
Johnnie Cruise Mercer
 
Maleek Washington
 
André M. Zachery

The Virtual Bessies Cocktail Party & Press Conference

Announcing the nominations for the 2021 season

Wednesday, August 11th, 6:00-7:00pm ET

The Bessies Steering Committee* invites you to celebrate from the comfort of your home as The Bessies announce the 2021 Nominated Artists. Join host George Emilio-Sanchez while enjoying unique Bessies cocktail and mocktail recipes, connecting with the dance and performance community, a virtual step & repeat photoshoot, and a one-minute dance party!

Tickets available here!