2008 A.W.A.R.D. Show winners Deganit Shemy & Company. Photo by Nolan Rosemond.
The A.W.A.R.D. Show! is taking its annual choreography competition for contemporary dance artists nation-wide this year. By partnering with The Joyce Theater Foundation in New York City, along with presenters in three additional cities and with financial assistance from The Boeing Company, the competition has issued a call for dance artists throughout the country. Each of the presenter partners — The Dance Center of Columbia College Chicago, the Philadelphia Live Arts Festival, On the Boards in Seattle and Joyce SoHo in NYC — will present the work of 12 choreographers starting in June and over $45,000 in prizes will be awarded for the creation of new work.
The competition was created in 2006 to provide lab space for dancers, encourage new work and cultivate an open dialogue with audiences. In keeping with this spirit, the audience isn’t treated as just a fifth wall during performances, they have an active role in the process and participate in post-performance discussions, fill out comment cards and and vote on the selection of the finalists.
A.W.A.R.D. Show! founder Neta Pulvermacher said she had this goal in mind when she created the competition. “The idea is that, by declaring out loud and upfront that audiences for The A.W.A.R.D. Show are charged with the rights and responsibility to make qualitative choices about what they see, the selection process becomes transparent and hopefully encourages honesty...For me, the award show is about freedom.”
The competition is looking for work under 15 minutes in length. Pieces can be a completed work or a work-in-progress. Cash grants for first-place awards are $10,000. Two finalists in each city will receive $1,000 cash awards. Past winners include La Manga Video & Dance Company, Kate Weare Company and Deganit Shemy & Company.
Joyce SoHo (New York City):
Performances June 18–21, 2009 at 7 pm
155 Mercer Street, New York, NY
Performance Tickets: $15
Ovation Tickets: 212-352-3101 or visit www.joyce.org
The Dance Center of Columbia College Chicago:
Performances June 24–27, 2009 at 8 pm
1306 S. Michigan Avenue, Chicago, IL
Performance Tickets: $15
Columbia Ticket Center: 312-369-6600 or visit www.colum.edu/dancecenter
Philadelphia Live Arts Festival:
Performances September 15–17 and 19, 2009 at 8 pm
The Black Box Theater at the Festival Hub
Preliminary Performance Tickets: $25/Final Performance Tickets: $30 www.livearts-fringe.org
On the Boards (Seattle):
Performances December 10–13, 2009 at 8 pm
Behnke Center for Contemporary Performance
100 W. Roy Street, Seattle, WA
Performance Tickets: $12
On the Boards Box Office: 206-217-9888 or visit www.ontheboards.org
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