Winners for the 2019 Chita Rivera Awards were announced last night, May 19, at The NYU Skirball Center for the Performing Arts. The evening was hosted by Broadway legends Ann Reinking and Ben Vereen.
The mission of the Chita Rivera Awards is to celebrate dance and choreographic excellence, preserve notable dance history, recognize past, present and future talents, while promoting high standards in dance education and investing in the next generation.
Here are the full list of winners:
Outstanding Choreography in a Broadway Show:
David Neumann, Hadestown
Outstanding Male Dancer in a Broadway Show:
Ephraim Sykes, Ain't Too Proud
Outstanding Female Dancer in a Broadway Show: (tie)
Ashley Blair Fitzgerald, The Cher Show
Gabrielle Hamilton, Oklahoma!
Outstanding Ensemble in a Broadway Show:
King Kong
OFF-BROADWAY NOMINATIONS:
Outstanding Choreography
Rick and Jeff Kuperman, Alice By Heart
Outstanding Male Dancer
Wesley Taylor, Alice By Heart
Outstanding Female Dancer
Irina Dvorovenko, The Beast in the Jungle
Outstanding Ensemble
Smokey Joe's Café, Steven Baruch, Mark Routh, Richard Frankel, Tom Viertel
FILM NOMINATIONS:
Theatrical Release
Mary Poppins Returns(Release date, December 19, 2018, Emily Blunt, Lin-Manuel Miranda) Choreographers: Rob Marshall & John DeLuca; Co-Choreographer, Joey Pizzi; Associate Choreographer, Tara Nichole Hughes, Assistant Choreographer: Marlon Pelayo
Documentaries
Moving Stories, Lives Transformed By Dance (Release Date, August 11, 2018, Battery Dance Festival, MoMa)
Director: Rob Fruchtman, Wilderness Films, Producer
At the evening's ceremony, dancer, choreographer and theater director Graciela Daniele received the third annual Lifetime Achievement Award, and Flody Suarez, Jeffrey Seller, and Cher (producers of The Cher Show on Broadway) were honored with the Ambassador for the Arts Award honoring their contribution to the convergence of theater, film, and television. George C. Wolfe was presented with the SDC Director Award for exemplary collaboration with choreographers on Broadway and Carol Paumgarten received the Vanguard Award for her outstanding contribution to the international dance community, having founded Steps on Broadway Dance Studio 40 years ago.
Congratulations to this year's winners!
Pictured: Chita Rivera
Source: Getty