A new Dance Hall of Fame has been established to honor the significant contributions to the discipline of dance. Included in the freshman class of inductees are Alvin Ailey, Mikhail Baryshnikov, Stephen “tWitch” Boss, Misty Copeland, Bob Fosse, Martha Graham, Gene Kelly, Kenny Ortega, Jerome Robbins and Twyla Tharp. The group will be feted at a ceremony on Dec. 3 at Los Angeles’ Glorya Kaufman Performing Arts Center.
The honorees were selected by a board comprising Adele Yoshioka, Christopher d’Amboise, Jeff Thacker, Jody Gottfried Arnhold, Julia Strickland, Lawrence Jackson, Melinda Soderling, Renae Williams Niles, Stuart K. Robinson, Susan Shields, Terry Lindholm and Wendy Whelan. The board was chosen by Emmy Award-winning director Louis J. Horvitz and Emmy-nominated director-choreographer Anita Mann. Horvitz, Mann and Thacker will serve as executive producers of the ceremony; Horvitz will also take on directing duties for the event. District 78 will serve as music directors of the ceremony which will feature a performance by the Martha Graham Dance Company, a hip-hop routine celebrating “tWitch” featuring the “So You Think You Can Dance AllStars,” a performance honoring Fosse’s signature style of dance, a tap dance segment and a salute to Ortega’s work on the film “Dirty Dancing.”
Ailey founded the Alvin Ailey American Dance Theatre, known for nurturing Black dancers for decades.
Baryshnikov is a former principal dancer with both the New York City Ballet and the American Ballet Theatre, the latter for which he later served as artistic director.
“tWitch” was a dancer-choreographer known for competing on “So You Think You Can Dance.”
In 2015, Copeland became the first Black principal dancer with American Ballet Theatre. The same year, she replaced in the role of Ivy in the Broadway revival of “On the Town.”
Fosse holds the record for winning the most Tony Awards (eight) for choreography, having won for shows such as “The Pajama Game,” Damn Yankees,” “Sweet Charity,” “Pippin” and “Dancin’.” His body of work was celebrated in the 1999 Best Musical Tony Award winner “Fosse.”
Graham was known for her unique style of modern dance, and established the Martha Graham School, the oldest dance school in the United States. Graham and her company performed multiple engagements on Broadway.
Kelly is known for his work dancing in the Golden Age of Hollywood films, such as “An American in Paris,” “Singin’ in the Rain” and “Anchors Aweigh.” Kelly originated the role of Joey Evans in the 1940 Broadway production of “Pal Joey.”
Ortega is known for his film choreography, having created the dances for “Xanadu,” “Dirty Dancing,” “Newsies” and “High School Musical 3.”
Robbins won Tony Awards for choreographing the original Broadway productions of “West Side Story” and “Fiddler on the Roof.” Robbins’ resume also includes the original mountings of “On the Town,” “Peter Pan,” “The King and I” and “Gypsy.” “Jerome Robbins’ Broadway,” a revue of his oeuvre, won the 1989 Tony Award for Best Musical.
Tharp founded Twyla Tharp Dance in 1965, which features work using her signature blend of styles (jazz, ballet and contemporary). The company performed several times on Broadway, before Tharp turned to directing and choreographing musical theater productions such as “Singin’ in the Rain,” “The Times They Are A-Changin’,” “Come Fly Away” and “Movin’ Out,” the latter of which earned her a Tony for Best Choreography.
“For decades, music and film have had institutions honor their greatest contributors; now, dance will finally have its Hall of Fame,” Mann said in a statement. “This ceremony will serve as a long-overdue celebration of the brilliance and impact these individuals have made. It’s a privilege to honor this class of inductees who have pushed boundaries, redefined the art and embodied the spirit of creativity and courage that inspires dancers and audiences across the globe.”
