By Walter Rutledge
On Wednesday July 15 The New York Dance and Performance Awards (The Bessies), announced the nominees for the 2014−15 season at its annual press conference. For the second consecutive year the Gibney Dance at 280 Broadway hosted New York City’s premier dance awards honoring outstanding creative work in the field. Two 2015 awards, Juried Bessie Award and Outstanding Emerging Choreographer were presented at the press conference.
The 2015 Bessies Jury; Susan Marshall, Shen Wei, and Reggie Wilson, named Pavel Zuštiak as the recipient of the Juried Bessie Award. Recognized for his poetic layering of movement and visual imagery, Zuštiak expressed his gratitude via video. The award provides touring and residency opportunities outside of New York City through a partnership with the New York State DanceForce, a statewide network of arts organizers and presenters.
Brooklyn based Storyboard P received the Outstanding Emerging Choreographer Award. He calls this artistic movement amalgam Mutant fusing various styles of Hip-Hop, (the latest American born art form) with elements of modern and jazz dance, cinematography and thematic choreographic form to create new dance narrative and abstract movement based works. This 24 year-old phenom’s recent collaborations include fashion designer Marc Jacobs, recording artists Jay Z and Miguel, documentary filmmaker Frendy Lemorin, and renowned photographer Marc Baptiste.
Highlights from the 2015 Bessie Awards Press Conference
Bessies Selection Committee, an independent committee of thirty-nine dance industry professionals, selected the thirty-seven nominees. The 2014−2015 Bessie Awards Selection Committee consists of Nolini Barretto, Diana Byer, Kim Chan, H.T. Chen, Blondell Cummings, Nancy Dalva, Andrew Dinwiddie, Maura Donohue, Simon Dove, Boo Froebel, Laurel George, Caleb Hammons, Zhenesse Heinemann, Iréne Hultman, Robert LaFosse, Matthew Lyons, Nicole Macotsis, Caridad Martinez, Harold Norris, Nicky Paraiso, Mathew Pokoik, Susan Reiter, Rokafella, Walter Rutledge, Sue Samuels, Philip Sandstrom, Gus Solomons Jr., Sally Sommer, Risa Steinberg, Carrie Stern, Kay Takeda, David Thomson, Muna Tseng, Kay Turner, Tony Waag, Edisa Weeks, Ryan Wenzel, Adrienne Westwood, and Elizabeth Zimmer. Produced in partnership with Dance/NYC, Bessie Award categories include Outstanding Production, Outstanding Revival, Outstanding Performer, Outstanding Music Composition or Sound Design, and Outstanding Visual Design.
The 31st Annual Bessie Awards will take place on Monday, October 19, 2015; 7:30pm, at the legendary Apollo Theater in New York City. Tickets start at $10 and can be purchased in person at the Apollo Theater Box Office by phone call Ticketmaster (800) 745-3000 and online at Ticketmaster.com, for groups call (212) 531-5355.
The 2015 Bessie Nominations
Outstanding Production:
600 HIGHWAYMEN
Employee of the Year
FIAF/Crossing the Line
Soledad Barrio and Noche Flamenca
Antigona
The Joyce Theater
Dorrance Dance with Toshi Reagon and BIGLOVELY
The Blues Project
The Joyce Theater
Neil Greenberg
This
New York Live Arts
Roger Guenveur Smith
Rodney King
BRIC
Xavier LeRoy
Retrospective
MoMA PS1 and Crossing the Line
Shwe Man Pwe
Music and Dance from Myanmar
Asia Society
David Neumann/Advanced Beginner Group
I Understand Everything Better
Abrons Arts Center co-presented by The Chocolate Factory
Justin Peck
Rōdē,ō: Four Dance Episodes
New York City Ballet
Lincoln Center
Lemi Ponifasio/MAU
Birds with Skymirrors
Next Wave Festival, Brooklyn Academy of Music
Pam Tanowitz
Broken Story (wherein there is no ecstasy)
The Guggenheim’s Works & Process
Vuyani Dance Theatre Project
Umnikelo
Fall for Dance, New York City Center
Outstanding Revival:
Alexei Ratmansky The Sleeping Beauty
American Ballet Theatre
Outstanding Performer:
Alexandra Albrecht and Andrew Champlin
in Polly Pocket: Expansion Pack by Jillian Peña
Danspace Project
Michelle Boulé
For her body of work with Miguel Gutierrez
Lawrence Cassella
Sustained Achievement in the work of Ivy Baldwin
Talya Epstein
in Star Crap Method by Larissa Velez-Jackson
The Chocolate Factory
Robert Fairchild
in An American in Paris
The Palace Theater
Ellen Fisher
For Sustained Achievement in Performance in the work of Meredith Monk
Lauren Grant
For her overall body of work with Mark Morris
Ryan Haskett, Daniel Price, and Lil Buck
Live Performance following NYC premiere of Pharaohs of Memphis
DAMN! Film Series
TheaterLab Annex
Juan Ogalla
in Antigona by Soledad Barrio and Noche Flamenca
The Joyce Theater
Amar Ramasar
New York City Ballet
Ryoji Sasamoto
in OQ by Kota Yamazaki
Japan Society
Melissa Toogood
For her body of work during the 2014−15 season in the work of Kimberly Bartosik, Merce Cunningham, Rashaun Mitchell, Stephen Petronio, Sally Silvers, Pam Tanowitz, among others.
Outstanding Emerging Choreographer (*indicates award recipient):
Yve Laris Cohen
Moriah Evans
For Social Dance 1-8: Index at Issue Project Room
Troy Schumacher
Storyboard P *
Outstanding Music Composition/Sound Design:
Tei Blow
for I Understand Everything Better by David Neumann/Advanced Beginner Group
Abrons Arts Center co-presented by The Chocolate Factory
Robyn Orlin | Compagnie Jant-Bi
At the same time we were pointing a finger at you, we realized we were pointing three at ourselves… by Robyn Orlin | Compagnie Jant-Bi
Peak Performances at Montclair State University
Ublado Perez Conde
for CAMBUYÓN by Enlace S.C.
The New Victory Theater
Kate Valk, Bobby McElver and Max Bernstein for Early Shaker Spirituals by The Wooster Group
St. Ann’s Warehouse
Outstanding Visual Design:
Reid Bartelme in collaboration with Harriet Jung
For body of work
Kathy Kaufmann
for Bloowst windku by Rebecca Davis
HERE Art Center
Lemi Ponifasio and Helen Todd
for Birds with Skymirrors
Next Wave Festival, Brooklyn Academy of Music
Design Team: Geoff Sobelle (Creator), Steven Dufala (Scenic Installation Designer)
Christopher Kuhl (Lighting Designer), Nick Kourtides (Sound Designer), Jamie Boyle (Integrated Archive Designer), Rachel McIntosh (Specialty Props Designer)
for The Object Lesson by Geoff Sobelle
BAM Fisher
See you October 19 at The Bessies