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The A.W.A.R.D. Show! 2009: Chicago participants include:

Wednesday, June 24 * 8:00 p.m.
    Francisco Aviña
    Rachel Bunting – The Humans
    Archana Kumar
    Julia Rhoads – Lucky Plush Productions


Thursday, June 25 * 8:00 p.m.
    Lisa Gonzales & Darrell Jones
    Lizzie MacKenzie – NoMi LaMad Dance Company
    Enid Smith – Enid Smith Dance
    Jessica Miller Tomlinson


Friday, June 26 * 8:00 p.m.
    Allyson Esposito & Megan Schneeberger – The Space/Movement Project
    Carrie Hanson – The Seldoms
    Molly Shanahan – Mad Shak
    Joel Valentin-Martinez


Saturday, June 27 * 8:00 p.m.
   The three finalists will compete on this final night for the $10,000 prize.

Julia Rhoads – Lucky Plush Productions
Jessica Miller Tomlinson
Allyson Esposito & Megan Schneeberger – The Space/Movement Project

MORE INFORMATION ABOUT THE A.W.A.R.D. SHOW! 2009: CHICAGO

Inspired by the previous success of The A.W.A.R.D. Show! in New York City and Gainesville, Florida, The Joyce Theater Foundation is partnering with The Dance Center of Columbia College Chicago, Philadelphia Live Arts Festival and On the Boards (Seattle) to expand The A.W.A.R.D. Show! across the country. The A.W.A.R.D. Show! was created in response to a need for a lab-like space where working dance artists can engage in an open dialogue with the audience about their work, and is dedicated to nurturing new work, discussion, exploration, creativity and the free exchange of ideas, thoughts and opinions.

The founder of The A.W.A.R.D. Show!, Neta Pulvermacher, summarizes her vision by explaining, “The idea is that, by declaring out loud and upfront that audiences for The A.W.A.R.D. Show! are charged with the rights and the responsibility to make qualitative choices about what they see, the selection process becomes transparent and hopefully encourages honesty. Then, the audience and artists can get on with the task of really looking at the work before them for what it is and to try and see it deeply. For me, The A.W.A.R.D. Show! is about freedom—the freedom to see, respond, imagine, dream, create, make or even fail, and the freedom to speak your mind and heart.”

Linda Shelton, executive director of The Joyce Theater Foundation, expresses her enthusiasm for the expansion of a concept that began with Ms. Pulvermacher’s vision at Joyce SoHo three years ago. “I am thrilled that The Boeing Company is able to offer their support and bring The A.W.A.R.D. Show! to these three new cities, expanding the presence of the project to a national level. It is quite a challenge for choreographers to find the resources to make new work and there is a need for audiences to deepen their understanding of work created; The A.W.A.R.D. Show! helps to address both of these issues.”

While watching the works, the audiences and the panel will be asked to think objectively about their choices and to evaluate the work according to the “P.O.E.M.” criteria: Potential, Originality, Execution and Merit.
•    Potential: Does the artist have potential and seem to have the maturity to take advantage of such an award at this point in his/her career?
•    Originality: Does the artist have a personal and unique voice? How singular is the artist’s movement language, concept and vision?
•    Execution: Were the performers committed, well-rehearsed and capable of carrying the intricacies of the artist’s vision?                    
•    Merit: Can a value of the whole be attributed based on the combination of the work’s Potential, Originality and Execution?

Along with their votes, the audience will also fill out comment cards. These comment cards will be given to the artists to offer feedback on their work.

The four first-place winners and the runners-up of The A.W.A.R.D. Show! 2009 will report back on their progress in creating a new work with the prize money that they receive, and when a performance of the work is scheduled it will be advertised on The Joyce Theater website and on each company’s website as well. In this way, the audience will have a chance to attend a performance and see a dance work that they ultimately helped to fund.

Past recipients of The A.W.A.R.D. Show! creation and production award include La Manga Video & Dance Company from Mexico (2006), Kate Weare Company from New York (2007) and Deganit Shemy & Company from New York (2008).

The A.W.A.R.D. Show! 2009 is administered by The Joyce Theater Foundation.

JUDGES FOR SATURDAY NIGHT PERFORMANCE

JAN ERKERT is a dance-maker, teacher, author and Head of the Department of Dance at University of Illinois. As Artistic Director of Jan Erkert & Dancers from 1979 – 2000, she created over 70 works, critically acclaimed for their lush, evocative imagery. Ms. Erkert’s work has been seen throughout the United States as well as in Germany, Mexico, Taiwan, Japan, Uruguay and Israel. Ms. Erkert and the company have been honored with numerous awards including fellowships from the National Endowment for the Arts and the Illinois Arts Council, and Ruth Page Awards for choreography and performance. She has received two Fulbright Scholar Awards and served on the Fulbright panel. Throughout her career, she has devoted much of her energy to advancing teaching and learning. She authored Harnessing the Wind: The Art of Teaching Modern Dance, which was published in 2003 by Human Kinetics and she has been a master teacher at universities and colleges throughout the United States, Mexico, Europe and Asia. As a professor of dance at Columbia College Chicago from 1990-2006, she garnered many awards including the 1999 Excellence in Teaching Award, and a nominee for the U.S. Professor of the Year sponsored by the Carnegie Foundation. Her political and community work includes partnerships with the Kovler Center for Survivors of Torture, The Peace Museum and Amnesty International In her role as Head of the Department of Dance at UI, she has spearheaded numerous collaborative projects including the construction of a floating, sustainable dance studio in collaboration with architects and environmentalists. She is currently working on the Garden Project, a series of dances in private and public gardens.

KEVIN IEGA JEFF was named one of the Juilliard School’s “100 Outstanding Alumni” at the school’s 100th anniversary. It’s an honor he shares with actor Robin Williams and musician/educator Wynton Marsalis. With over 30 years of experience in artistic direction, training and management, Mr. Jeff is an accomplished choreographer, director, teacher and performer. His performing credits include: The Wiz and Comin’ Uptown on Broadway, and a 1994 Academy Awards performance as The Beast in Disney’s Beauty and the Beast, choreography by Debbie Allen. His credits for direction and choreography include: The Goodman Theater, ETA Theater, an international tour of Porgy and Bess, choreography for Alvin Ailey American Dance Ensemble, River North Dance Company, Dallas Black Dance Theater, Cleveland Contemporary Dance Theater, Dance Keleidoscope, and the Wylliams/Henry Danse Theater. He is also the recipient of several awards and acknowledgements, including National
Endowment for the Arts Fellowships, New York Bessie Award nominations, National Council for Culture and Arts recognition, a Merit Award from the International Association of Blacks in Dance, and a Chicago Dance Makers Forum 2009 honoree. He’s passionate about community performance, and choreographed productions for Community Performance, Inc. in diverse communities including Swap Gravy in Colquit, GA, Yoder Barn in Newport News, VA. Additionally, he’s choreographed and directed community arts projects for The Salina Arts and Humanities in Salina, KS, and the Camplex Heritage Center Performing Arts Workshop in Gillette, WY, which he co-founded and directed for six years. In 2007, Mr. Jeff was nominated for a prestigious USA Artists Fellowship, and in 2008, he won a Dayton Tony for “Best Choreography” for the Equity production of Shenandoah. In 2008, Mr. Jeff also received the Black Theater Alliance award for “Best Direction of a Musical” for DRP’s production of Nefertiti: A Concert of Music and Dance. Mr. Jeff served as Artist in Residence for ten years at Howard University, and is presently Artist in Residence at Purdue University’s Black Cultural Center in Lafayette, IN.

PAUL J. ORGANISAK (Executive Director, Pittsburgh Dance Council & Vice President of Programming, The Pittsburgh Cultural Trust) has spent over 20 years in the dance administration field beginning with his work at the Pittsburgh Dance Council in 1988. Founded in 1969, the Pittsburgh Dance Council is the primary presenter of contemporary dance in Western Pennsylvania and one of the largest presenters of international performance in the region. Mr. Organisak worked for the Pittsburgh Dance Council from 1988 – 1991 as Associate Director and Director of Development. Following that, Paul spent nine years as the Executive Director of the American College Dance Festival Association (ACDFA), the service organization for dance in higher education. Prior to returning to work with the Pittsburgh Dance Council in 2001, Paul served as the Executive Director of Dance Umbrella in Boston, which was New England’s largest, year-round presenter of contemporary dance performance. Since then, he has served as the Executive Director of the Pittsburgh Dance Council, leading the overall management and programming. Effective January 2002, the Pittsburgh Dance Council merged with and became a division of The Pittsburgh Cultural Trust. In November 2004, Paul assumed the additional role of Vice President of Programming for the Pittsburgh Cultural Trust. He currently serves as Chair of the Presenting Council of Dance/USA. Paul holds a degree from the University of Michigan/Ann Arbor.

LINDA SHELTON is presently the Executive Director and a Trustee of The Joyce Theater Foundation, Inc, a position she has held since 1993. Prior to her current position, she served as General Manager of The Joffrey Ballet. Before The Joffrey, she managed tours for the Bolshoi Ballet, Bolshoi Ballet Academy, Moscow Virtuosi, 1000 Airplanes on the Roof and Sankai Juku. From 1982–1988, she held management positions at The Twyla Tharp Dance Foundation. Ms. Shelton began her work in the dance field as an intern at the New York State Council on the Arts Dance Program. She holds a B.A. degree in Dance Education from New York University, and has completed work towards her Masters in Arts Administration, also at New York University. A Dance/USA Board member for over ten years, Ms. Shelton served as Chair from 2000-2002 and was also Chair of their 1996 National Roundtable. In 1999, Ms. Shelton was appointed Chevalier of France’s Order of Arts and Letters for her contribution to furthering the arts. In 2004, she received the Documents of Dance Award from the Dance Library of Israel honoring her contributions to the New York dance community.


Presented by The Joyce Theater Foundation in association with The Dance Center of Columbia College Chicago, Philadelphia Live Arts Festival and On the Boards (Seattle).