Presenters include Chita Rivera, Ben Vereen, Wayne Cilento, Desmond Richardson, Ashley Blair Fitzgerald, Dylis Croman and Rachel Zatcoff.
Charlotte d'Amboise (Chicago; A Chorus Line) and Bianca Marroquín (Chicago; Fosse/Verdon) will host the 2022 Chita Rivera Awards, it was announced today.
The 2022 Chita Rivera Awards will be presented on June 20th at 7:30pm at the NYU Skirball Center for the Performing Arts (566 LaGuardia Place off Washington Square Park), and produced by Joe Lanteri, Founder and Executive Director of the New York City Dance Alliance Foundation, Inc. in conjunction with Patricia Watt.
Presenters for the Awards have also been announced. They include: Chita Rivera, Ben Vereen, Wayne Cilento, Desmond Richardson, Ashley Blair Fitzgerald, Dylis Croman and Rachel Zatcoff.
There will also be performances by hosts Charlotte and Bianca, Bebe Neuwirth, Fiddler on the Roof in Yiddish, American Dance Machine for the 21st Century, STOMP, and dancers from the Pace University Commercial Dance BFA Program.
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.
At this year's Chita Rivera Awards, Tony, Academy and Golden Globe Award winner Joel Grey will receive the Lifetime Achievement Award.
Nominators considered outstanding choreography, featured dancers, and ensemble in shows on Broadway and Off Broadway, as well as, outstanding choreography in film, that opened pre-Covid as well as in the 2021-2022 season. Nominations for the productions under consideration this season will be determined by the designated nominating committee. There are separate nominating committees for Broadway, Off Broadway and Film. There is also an awarding committee for Broadway, which determines the final nominations that are received from the Broadway nominations committee.
Awarding Committee
Chair: Sylviane Gold, Gary Chryst, Robert LaFosse, Donna McKechnie, Wendy Perron, and Lee Roy Reams
Broadway Nominating Committee
Chair: Wendy Federman, Melinda Atwood, Caitlin Carter, Gary Chryst, Jamie deRoy, Peter Filichia, Dr. Louis Galli, Jonathan Herzog, Jim Kierstead, Robert LaFosse, Joe Lanteri, Donna McKechnie, Mary Beth O'Connor, Wendy Perron, Lee Roy Reams, Andy Sandberg, and Randy Skinner
Off-Broadway Nominating Committee
Chair: Andy Sandberg, Maria DiDia, Jonathan Herzog, Deidre Goodwin, Scott Jovovich, Robert LaFosse, Michael Milton
Film Nominating Committee
Chair: Jonathan C. Herzog, Steven Caras, Wilhelmina Frankfurt, Grethe B. Holby, Mary Beth O'Connor, and Andy Sandberg
Tickets for the Chita Rivera Awards are currently on sale and can be purchased at www.ChitaRiveraAwards.com. Ticket prices are as follows: $100 for a balcony ticket to the Awards ceremony, $500 for an orchestra ticket to the Awards ceremony and admission to the pre-show red carpet cocktail party and VIP reception, and $5000 for 10 Orchestra tickets to the Awards ceremony, admission for 10 to the pre-show red carpet cocktail party & 1 table at the VIP reception.
A theatrical icon and one of Broadway's greatest triple-threat talents, Chita Rivera is one of the most nominated performers in Tony Award history having earned 10 nominations, won twice and received the 2018 Special Tony Award for Lifetime Achievement in the Theatre. A versatile actress/singer/dancer, her most recent starring roles include The Visit, the final John Kander/Fred Ebb/Terrence McNally musical directed by John Doyle and choreographed by Graciela Daniele on Broadway; the Broadway revival of The Mystery of Edwin Drood; the Broadway and touring productions of The Dancer's Life, a dazzling musical celebrating her spectacular career, written by Terrence McNally and directed by Graciela Daniele and the revival of the Broadway musical Nine with Antonio Banderas. She trained as a ballerina (from age nine) before receiving a scholarship to the School of American Ballet from the legendary choreographer George Balanchine. Chita's first appearance (age 19) was as a principal dancer in Call Me Madam. Her electric performance as Anita in the original Broadway premiere of West Side Story brought her stardom, which she repeated in London. Her career is highlighted by starring roles in Bye Bye Birdie, The Rink (Tony Award), Chicago, Jerry's Girls, Kiss of the Spider Woman (Tony Award), and the original Broadway casts of Guys and Dolls, Can-Can, Seventh Heaven and Mr. Wonderful. On tour: Born Yesterday, The Rose Tattoo, Call Me Madam, Threepenny Opera, Sweet Charity, Kiss Me Kate, Zorba, Can-Can with The Rockettes. Chita was awarded The Presidential Medal of Freedom by President Barack Obama in 2009 and received the coveted Kennedy Center Honor in 2002. In 2019, Chita performed her solo concert at London's Cadogan Hall; in 2018 she was honored as a Living Landmark by the New York Landmarks Conservancy; in 2016 she headlined at Carnegie Hall and in 2015, Great Performances aired their special Chita Rivera: A Lot of Livin' To Do, a retrospective of her extraordinary life and career nationally on PBS.Her current solo CD is entitled, And Now I Swing. Her most treasured production is her daughter, singer/dancer/choreographer Lisa Mordente.
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