HELL'S KITCHEN, ILLINOISE, And More Win 2024 Chita Rivera Awards

The Broadway productions of Illinoise, The Outsiders, Water for Elephants and more are winners at this year's 2024 Chita Rivera Awards.

Awards nominators considered outstanding choreography, featured dancers, and ensembles in shows on Broadway as well as outstanding choreography in film that opened during the 2023-2024 season.

Presented at NYU Skirball Center for the Performing Arts (566 LaGuardia Place off Washington Square Park), the Chita Rivera Awards are produced by Joe Lanteri, Founder and Executive Director of the New York City Dance Alliance Foundation Inc., in conjunction with Patricia Watt.

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.

At this year's Chita Rivera Awards, Bernadette Peters received the Lifetime Achievement Award and Mayte Natalio (Suffs) received the Douglas and Ethel Watt Critics' Choice Award. Addiditionally, Phil LaDuca received the Vanguard Award, for his outstanding contribution to the international dance community.

Presenters and performers at this year's Awards included: Wayne Brady (The Wiz), Kristin Chenoweth (Wicked), Anthony Crivello (Kiss of the Spider Woman), Joel Grey (Cabaret), Huey Lewis (The Heart of Rock and Roll), Norm Lewis (Phantom of the Opera; Porgy and Bess), Joe Morton (Scandal, ART) Bebe Neuwirth (Cabaret at the Kit Kat Club, Chicago), Kenny Ortega (High School Musical), David Hyde Pierce (Here We Are, Spamalot), Brooke Shields (Suddenly Susan; The Adams Family), Ben Vereen (Pippin), and more.

As was the case last year, the Outstanding Dancer in a Broadway Show category is gender-free. This category has twice as many nominees as the former gendered categories. There are two winners.

All proceeds of the Chita Rivera Awards benefit the NYC Dance Alliance Foundation Scholarship Program. The NYCDA Foundation is an IRS approved 501(c)(3) committed to broadening performing arts awareness while advocating education and high standards of excellence in dance. 

This year, all funding and proceeds will support the creation of a new Chita Rivera Training Scholarship.

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2024 Chita Rivera AWARD WINNERS

OUTSTANDING CHOREOGRAPHY IN A BROADWAY SHOW

***Camille A Brown, Hell's Kitchen (tie)

Julia Cheng, Cabaret at the Kit Kat Club

Rick and Jeff Kuperman, The Outsiders

Lorin Latarro, The Heart of Rock and Roll / The Who's Tommy (joint nomination)

Justin Peck, Illinoise

***Jesse Robb and Shana Carroll, Water for Elephants (tie)

OUTSTANDING DANCER IN A BROADWAY SHOW

***Antoine Boissereau, Water for Elephants

Ben Cook, Illinoise

Chloe Davis, Hell's Kitchen

Gaby Diaz, Illinoise

***Tilly Evans-Krueger, The Outsiders

Rachel Lockhart, Illinoise

Phillip Johnson Richardson, The Wiz

Byron Tittle, Illinoise

Ricky Ubeda, Illinoise

Avery Wilson, The Wiz

OUTSTANDING ENSEMBLE IN A BROADWAY SHOW

Cabaret at the Kit Kat Club

Hell's Kitchen

***Illinoise

The Heart of Rock and Roll

The Outsiders

Water for Elephants

FILM & DOCUMENTARY

OUTSTANDING CHOREOGRAPHY IN A THEATRICAL RELEASE

***Barbie, Choreographer: Jennifer White

Carmen, Choreographer: Benjamin Millepied / Marina Tamayo

Color Purple, Choreographer: Fatima Robinson

Mean Girls, Choreographer: Kyle Hanagami

Wonka, Choreographer: Christopher Gattelli

OUTSTANDING DIRECTION OF A DANCE DOCUMENTARY

Daughters, Directors: Angela Patton / Natalie Rae

Eldorado: Everything the Nazis Hate, Directors: Benjamin Cantu / Matt Lambert

***Lift, Director: David Petersen

Studio One Forever, Director: Marc Saltarelli  

Swan Song, Director: Chelsea McMullan