Katherine Tolford, Enjoy!
GLENDALE -- With the exception of maybe Fred and Ginger, a who's who
of dance and choreography will be at The Alex Theatre on Sunday for the
sixth annual American Choreography Awards.
The event will honor outstanding choreographic achievement in film,
television, music videos and commercials. Dance numbers from "American
Beauty," "Ally McBeal," "Introducing Dorothy Dandridge," Fiona Apple and
Will Smith music videos, and Gap and Coke commercials are among this
year's nominees.
Peggy Holmes, one of the show's producers, said she hopes the event
brings more attention to the craft of choreography.
"I hope this event shows that choreography is not something that died
with the MGM musical," she said. "In an age when the industry thinks
there's no real place for choreography, there is so much of it in TV and
movies."
In addition to the awards, the show is designed to give exposure to
the choreographers and creators. It will feature heavy clip packages that
highlight a range of this year's work.
Choreographers tend to work alone, Holmes said, and are often hungry
for a forum to discuss their work and view the work of their colleagues.
"Some people, for instance, may not realize that Drew Carey does
incredible song and dance numbers on his show," she said.
Seeing other choreographers' works is a draw for some of those
attending the event.
"The nominations themselves are great, but I'm looking forward to
celebrating all the great work that's being done," said Joseph Malone,
who is nominated for his work on "Ally McBeal." "I feel renewed and
refreshed when I see clips of other people's work."
Nominee Tina Landon is looking forward to seeing her fellow
choreographers' work live.
"We tend to get lost in our worlds," she said. "An event like this
helps bring awareness to the public and other choreographers. It's great
to show the public what a wide range of choreography is out there and
who's behind it."
Landon is nominated for her work with Ricky Martin and Janet Jackson.
She is also producing a hip hop/Latin dance number for the show.
Some of the scheduled performances include a tango dance number with a
contortionist by Cirque du Soleil choreographer Debra Brown and a tap
dance tribute to one of the famed Nicholas Brothers, who passed away this
year.
Honorary awards will be presented to choreographer Lester Wilson
(posthumously), renowned jazz dance teacher Luigi and to the Gap, for its
support of dance in commercials.
All of the awards will be presented by dancers, even if they're known
primarily as actors such as Elliott Gould and Valerie Harper. This rule
makes for a more personal evening, Holmes said, because the presenters
are often moved to talk about their relationship with dance.
"It takes away from a traditional award-show vibe," Holmes said.
Malone agrees.
"Dancers do what they do because of who they are -- there's a
camaraderie unlike anything else," he said. "It's so great to see some of
the icons in the community stand together on this night."
IF YOU GO:
WHAT: The American Choreography Awards.
WHERE: The Alex Theatre, 216 N. Brand Blvd., Glendale.
WHEN: 6 p.m. Sunday.
TICKETS: $250, $125, $65, $35.
PHONE: The American Choreography Awards (323) 465-6906;
www.americanchoreographyawards.com.
