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The New York Dance and Performance Awards (The Bessies), New York City's premier dance awards honoring outstanding creative work in the field, today announced the nominees for the 2014−15 season at its annual press conference. The 37 nominees were selected by the Bessies Selection Committee, an independent committee of 39 dance industry professionals. Produced in partnership with Dance/NYC, Bessie Award categories include Outstanding Production, Outstanding Revival, Outstanding Performer, Outstanding Music Composition or Sound Design, and Outstanding Visual Design. The list of nominations follows. The 31st Annual Bessie Awards will take place on Monday, October 19, 2015, at 7:30pm, at the legendary Apollo Theater in New York City. The 2015 ceremony will mark the Bessie Awards' fifth year at this historic venue. Two 2015 awards were presented at the press conference. The Outstanding Emerging Choreographer Award was presented to Storyboard P for fusing various styles of Hip-Hop with elements of modern and jazz dance, creating a cinematic choreographic vision for new dance narratives and abstract movement-based works. This year's Bessies Jury—Susan Marshall, Shen Wei, and Reggie Wilson—named Pavel Zustiak as the recipient of the 2015 Juried Bessie Award. Zustiak was recognized for his poetic layering of movement and visual imagery, conceiving the stage space as a decentralized world in which the corporeal body is the focus and canvas for a wide range of human expression. The jury of three acclaimed choreographers, appointed each year by the Bessies Steering Committee, is responsible for choosing a choreographer who exhibits some of the most interesting and exciting ideas in dance in New York City today. The award provides the honored dance maker with touring and residency opportunities outside of New York City through a partnership with the New York State DanceForce, a statewide network of arts organizers and presenters. The 2015 Bessie Awards Steering Committee, responsible for setting policy and providing oversight of the Bessie Awards throughout the year, is comprised of Cora Cahan, Beverly D'Anne, Lane Harwell, Judy Hussie-Taylor, Stanford Makishi, Carla Peterson, Laurie Uprichard, and Martin Wechsler. The 2014−2015 Bessie Awards Selection Committee consists of Nolini Barretto, Diana Byer, Kim Chan, H.T. Chen, Blondell Cummings, Nancy Dalva, Andrew Dinwiddie, Maura Donohue, Simon Dove, Boo Froebel, Laurel George, Caleb Hammons, Zhenesse Heinemann, Iréne Hultman, Robert LaFosse, Matthew Lyons, Nicole Macotsis, Caridad Martinez, Harold Norris, Nicky Paraiso, Mathew Pokoik, Susan Reiter, Rokafella, Walter Rutledge, Sue Samuels, Philip Sandstrom, Gus Solomons Jr., Sally Sommer, Risa Steinberg, Carrie Stern, Kay Takeda, David Thomson, Muna Tseng, Kay Turner, Tony Waag, Edisa Weeks, Ryan Wenzel, Adrienne Westwood, and Elizabeth Zimmer. The 2015 Bessie Nominations
Outstanding Production:600 HIGHWAYMEN Employee of the Year FIAF/Crossing the Line Soledad Barrio and Noche Flamenca Antigona The Joyce Theater Dorrance Dance with Toshi Reagon and BIGLOVELY The Blues Project The Joyce Theater Neil Greenberg This New York Live Arts Roger Guenveur Smith Rodney King BRIC Xavier LeRoy Retrospective MoMA PS1 and Crossing the Line Shwe Man Pwe Music and Dance from Myanmar Asia Society David Neumann/Advanced Beginner Group I Understand Everything Better Abrons Arts Center co-presented by The Chocolate Factory Justin Peck Rōdē,ō: Four Dance Episodes New York City Ballet Lincoln Center Lemi Ponifasio/MAU Birds with Skymirrors Next Wave Festival, Brooklyn Academy of Music Pam Tanowitz Broken Story (wherein there is no ecstasy) The Guggenheim's Works & Process Vuyani Dance Theatre Project Umnikelo Fall for Dance, New York City Center Outstanding Revival:Alexei Ratmansky The Sleeping Beauty American Ballet Theatre Outstanding Performer:Alexandra Albrecht and Andrew Champlin in Polly Pocket: Expansion Pack by Jillian Peña Danspace Project Michelle Boulé For her body of work with Miguel Gutierrez Lawrence Cassella For Sustained Achievement in the work of Ivy Baldwin Talya Epstein in Star Crap Method by Larissa Velez-Jackson The Chocolate Factory Robert Fairchild in An American in Paris The Palace Theater Ellen Fisher For Sustained Achievement in Performance in the work of Meredith Monk Lauren Grant For her overall body of work with Mark Morris Ryan Haskett, Daniel Price, and Lil Buck Live Performance following NYC premiere of Pharaohs of Memphis DAMN! Film Series TheaterLab Annex Juan Ogalla in Antigona by Soledad Barrio and Noche Flamenca The Joyce Theater Amar Ramasar New York City Ballet Ryoji Sasamoto in OQ by Kota Yamazaki Japan Society Melissa Toogood For her body of work during the 2014−15 season in the work of Kimberly Bartosik, Merce Cunningham, Rashaun Mitchell, Stephen Petronio, Sally Silvers, Pam Tanowitz, among others. Outstanding Emerging Choreographer (*indicates award recipient):Yve Laris Cohen Moriah Evans For Social Dance 1-8: Index at Issue Project Room Troy Schumacher Storyboard P* Outstanding Music Composition/Sound Design:Tei Blow for I Understand Everything Better by David Neumann/Advanced Beginner Group Abrons Arts Center co-presented by The Chocolate Factory Robyn Orlin | Compagnie Jant-Bi At the same time we were pointing a finger at you, we realized we were pointing three at ourselves… by Robyn Orlin | Compagnie Jant-Bi Peak Performances at Montclair State University Ublado Perez Conde for CAMBUYÓN by Enlace S.C. The New Victory Theater Kate Valk, Bobby McElver and Max Bernstein for Early Shaker Spirituals by The Wooster Group St. Ann's Warehouse Outstanding Visual Design:Reid Bartelme in collaboration with Harriet Jung For body of work Kathy Kaufmann for Bloowst windku by Rebecca Davis HERE Art Center Lemi Ponifasio and Helen Todd for Birds with Skymirrors Next Wave Festival, Brooklyn Academy of Music Design Team: Geoff Sobelle (Creator), Steven Dufala (Scenic Installation Designer) Christopher Kuhl (Lighting Designer), Nick Kourtides (Sound Designer), Jamie Boyle (Integrated Archive Designer), Rachel McIntosh (Specialty Props Designer) for The Object Lesson by Geoff Sobelle BAM Fisher ABOUT THE BESSIESProduced in partnership with Dance/NYC, the New York Dance and Performance Awards have saluted outstanding and groundbreaking creative work in the dance field in New York City for 31 years. Known as "The Bessies" in honor of revered dance teacher Bessie Schönberg, the awards were established in 1984 by David White at Dance Theater Workshop. They recognize exceptional work in choreography, performance, music composition, and visual design. Nominees are chosen by a 39-member selection committee comprised of artists, presenters, producers, and writers. All those working in the dance field are invited to join the NY Dance and Performance League, as members participate in annual discussions on the direction of the awards and nominate members to serve on the selection committee. www.dancenyc.nyc/partner-resources/the-bessies
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