Shoshanna Bean, Kenny Ortega & David Hyde Pierce to Join Chita Rivera Awards

More stars will be joining the 2024 Chita Rivera Awards, being presented on May 20 at 7:30pm at the NYU Skirball Center for the Performing Arts. 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.

Shoshanna Bean (Hell's Kitchen), Kenny Ortega (High School Musical) and David Hyde Pierce (Here We Are, Spamalot) join the previously announced Debbie Allen (Fame), Corbin Bleu (High School Musical, Little Shop…), Kristin Chenoweth (Wicked), Anthony Crivello (Kiss of the Spider Woman), Joel Grey (Cabaret), Bebe Neuwirth (Cabaret at the Kit Kat Club, Chicago), Brooke Shields (Suddenly Susan; The Adams Family), Ben Vereen (Pippin), and more.

Also, the cast of The Who's Tommy will be performing ‘Sensation' to celebrate their nomination for Outstanding Choreography.

At the May 20 Awards, Bernadette Peters will receive the Lifetime Achievement Award, Phil LaDuca will receive the Vanguard Award, for his outstanding contribution to the international dance community, and Mayte Natalio (Suffs; How to Dance in Ohio) will receive the Douglas and Ethel Watt Critics' Choice Award.

The Douglas and Ethel Watt Critics' Choice Award is bestowed by the journalists of the Chita Rivera Awards' Broadway judging committee, to recognize outstanding work that falls outside the framework of the original categories. It is named for the longtime Daily News theater critic Douglas Watt and his wife Ethel, an original cast member of Carousel and Kiss Me, Kate who later became a producer. 

Tickets to the Chita Rivera Awards are available to the general public at www.ChitaRiveraAwards.com.

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.

Nominators considered outstanding choreography, featured dancers, and ensemble in shows on Broadway, as well as outstanding choreography in film, that opened in the 2023-2024 season. Nominations for the productions under consideration this season will be determined by the designated nominating committee. There are separate nominating committees for Broadway and Film. There is also an awarding committee for Broadway, which determines the final nominations that are received from the Broadway nominations committee.