Anna Zavelson And More Named 14th Annual Clive Barnes Award Winners

American Ballet Theatre soloist Jake Roxander, New York-based dancer Frances Samson, and musical theatre actress Anna Zavelson have been named winners of the 14th Annual Clive Barnes Award for Dance and Theatre. The winners were  announced at the Awards Ceremony on Monday, April 29, hosted by NY1’s Frank DiLella.

Mr. Roxander, Ms. Samson, and Ms. Zavelson each received an unrestricted award of $5,000.  They were among eight nominees of outstanding promise selected by the Foundation’s 11- member Selection Committee comprised of arts journalists and accomplished professionals in  each field. Nominees were selected based on live performances given in New York City between  January and December of 2023.  

Jake Roxander began his formal dance training at the age of seven, studying with his parents  until he was 17 years old. He studied gymnastics and voice and performed in several musical  theatre productions in Southern Oregon. He participated in the Youth America Grand Prix,  receiving the Youth Grand Prix Award in 2016 and 2017, and the Grand Prix Award in 2018 and  2019. He was awarded full scholarships to Pennsylvania Ballet’s “Company Experience”  workshop in 2017 and 2018, and to American Ballet Theatre’s New York Summer Intensive in  2019. Mr. Roxander joined Pennsylvania Ballet II in 2019, and the ABT Studio Company in  September 2020. He was named an apprentice with ABT’s main company in May 2022 and  joined ABT’s corps de ballet in September 2022. His repertoire includes Benno and Neapolitan  Dance in Swan Lake, Peasant Pas de Deux in Giselle, Puck in The Dream, Mercutio in Romeo  and Juliet, and leading roles in Études and Piano Concerto No. 1. Mr. Roxander was appointed a  soloist with ABT in March 2024. 

Anna Zavelson is an Asian American artist who is proud to have made her New York City debut  as Clara in the critically acclaimed Encores! revival of “Light in the Piazza.” In 2022, she was a  a finalist in The Jimmy Awards, bringing the song “Higher” from the musical “Allegiance” to  life. Television credits include NBC’s “Revolution” and Netflix’s “13 Reasons Why.” Currently,  Ms. Zavelson is pursuing her BFA in Musical Theatre from the University of Michigan. 

Frances Lorraine Samson is a New York-based artist originally from Toronto, Canada. She has  been featured by the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation, TEDx, and Harper's Bazaar, and has  had the honor of working for institutions such as The Juilliard School, SUNY Purchase College, and the Danish National Academy of Music. Ms. Samson was a principal dancer with the Limón  Dance Company (2022 Bessie Award for Outstanding Choreography) from 2017-2023 and is  currently on faculty for the Limón Institute. She has collaborated with artists such as Kate Weare,  Francesca Harper, Raúl Tamez, Kayla Farrish, Madeline Hollander, and Aszure Barton. She  currently works for award-winning choreographers Twyla Tharp and Baye & Asa. 

“It was fantastically fabulous to not only have our finalists and winners to celebrate, but also a  terribly exciting program with some exquisite dance and acting from our celebrated alumni,” said  Lloyd Mayor, President of The Clive & Valerie Barnes Foundation. “I wish to tell anyone  interested in participating or collaborating with our foundation to always feel free to contact us as we know the Clive & Valerie Barnes Foundation is an ever-expansive endeavor.” 

For more information and to support The Clive & Valerie Barnes Foundation, please visit,  https://www.cvbarnesfoundation.org.

About the Foundation  

The Clive & Valerie Barnes Foundation supports young artists through recognition, encouragement, and  financial support. Throughout his professional life, Clive Barnes was caring and generous to his  colleagues and friends, always ready to advise and listen. After his death, many condolence letters spoke  of his generosity and practical help, especially to young people. In this spirit, The Clive Barnes  Foundation was formed in 2009 (renamed in 2020 to honor founder Valerie Taylor-Barnes) to create  Annual Awards giving recognition, encouragement, and financial support to talented young professionals n Dance and Theatre, thus, honoring the memory of the many years of critical work and the warm  personal generosity of Clive Barnes and Valerie Taylor. Select past winners of The Clive Barnes Award  include Nina Arianda (2009), Isabella Boylston (2011), Michaela Jaé Rodriguez (2011), Rob McClure  (2012), Alex Sharp (2014), Zoe Anderson (2018), Andrew Burnap (2019), Celia Rose Gooding (2019),  Mira Nadon (2021), and Justin Cooley (2021).