May 10th, 2011
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Author: Make your vote heard! No, it’s not election day — but the audiences will help select the winners of $12,000 at the “A.W.A.R.D. Show!” That’s “Artists with Audiences Responding to Dance.”
A national panel of dance experts selected 12 area choreographers to compete May 18 through 21 at the Arts Bank in Philadelphia. The competitors are Tyger B, Eric Bean, Zane Booker, Eleanor Goudie-Averill, Sarah Konner, Bronwen MacArthur, Meredith Rainey, Gabrielle Revlock, Rain Ross, Brian Sanders, Yu Wei and Raphael Xavier.
Four works will be presented each night, discussed and voted upon by the audience, with a reception following. On the fourth evening, the finals will feature voting by an expert panel of judges in conjunction with the audience. Philadelphia is one of six cities hosting “The A.W.A.R.D. Show!” — along with the Joyce Theater (New York City), the Dance Center of Columbia College Chicago, ODC Theater (San Francisco), On the Boards (Seattle) and REDCAT (Los Angeles). Each city will award $12,000 in cash grants to the winners (totaling $72,000 nationally) — one choreographer in each city wins $10,000 and two will receive $1,000 each.
Anne-Marie Mulgrew, project/education director for Dance Affiliates, which is presenting the show in Philadelphia, said the choreographers bring special magic to the stage.
“Each piece is very unique — there are stellar collaborations, there’s a solo Chinese dancer, those who’ve performed with prestigious contemporary companies, a Pennsylvania ballet soloist dancing in a duet,” she said, “and Raphael Xavier, alum of Rennie Harris Puremovement [a hip-hop dance company], veteran self-taught breakdancer and multidisciplinary artist.”
Xavier, 40, of Wayne, will present “Black Canvas,” an autobiographic story of his introduction to breakdancing. After being paralyzed for a time after a spine injury in 2007, he’s happy just to be onstage.
Breakdancing has been part of his life for 28 years, but it wasn’t until about 15 years ago that he became a professional. He’s proud to be a dancer/choreographer.
“A lot of people look at me as a mentor in the hip-hop form and I learn from them as they learn from me,” he said. “As I get older, the dancers get younger and I can usher them into my world of work if they have an interest to do that. So sharing with this form and giving back to the community is important for me.”
It’s also important to Mulgrew, who taught at Penn State Abington for 20 years and at Temple University, where she earned her MFA in dance, and who does outreach at schools and the University City Arts League.
She hopes new audiences will come out to see the performers, especially since they get a say in who wins.
“This show is special because it empowers the audience by giving them a voice,” she said.
The event is unique, too, in that dancers and choreographers who may not have appeared together will do so. And it’s fun and interesting when different approaches, methods and styles take the same stage, she said.
The choreographers already are winners because only a few have been selected by a panel of experts to compete. So audiences will see amazing and talented dancers, she said. The bonus for the participants — they have the chance to win money to help them keep doing what they love. Continued…
“In these challenging times, money to create new work is a good thing,” said Mulgrew, who created the experimental-interdisciplinary modern-based company Anne-Marie Mulgrew and Dancers Co. (AMM & DC), which recently celebrated its 25th anniversary. She says she loves living an artistic life.
“I have been fortunate to live the life of a dancer, choreographer, director, educator, promoter, fundraiser, activist, advocate and organizer,” she said. “Dance is my life, passion and obsession.”
And she, like all the performers, can’t wait to share that passion with viewers in this revolutionary show.
“The A.W.A.R.D. Show!”
(Artists with Audiences
Responding to Dance),
presented by Dance Affiliates,
will take place
at the Arts Bank,
601 S. Broad St.,
Philadelphia, PA 19147,
Wednesday – Saturday,
May 18 – 21, 7 p.m. Continued…
Make your vote heard! No, it’s not election day — but the audiences will help select the winners of $12,000 at the “A.W.A.R.D. Show!” That’s “Artists with Audiences Responding to Dance.”
A national panel of dance experts selected 12 area choreographers to compete May 18 through 21 at the Arts Bank in Philadelphia. The competitors are Tyger B, Eric Bean, Zane Booker, Eleanor Goudie-Averill, Sarah Konner, Bronwen MacArthur, Meredith Rainey, Gabrielle Revlock, Rain Ross, Brian Sanders, Yu Wei and Raphael Xavier.
Four works will be presented each night, discussed and voted upon by the audience, with a reception following. On the fourth evening, the finals will feature voting by an expert panel of judges in conjunction with the audience. Philadelphia is one of six cities hosting “The A.W.A.R.D. Show!” — along with the Joyce Theater (New York City), the Dance Center of Columbia College Chicago, ODC Theater (San Francisco), On the Boards (Seattle) and REDCAT (Los Angeles). Each city will award $12,000 in cash grants to the winners (totaling $72,000 nationally) — one choreographer in each city wins $10,000 and two will receive $1,000 each.
Anne-Marie Mulgrew, project/education director for Dance Affiliates, which is presenting the show in Philadelphia, said the choreographers bring special magic to the stage.
“Each piece is very unique — there are stellar collaborations, there’s a solo Chinese dancer, those who’ve performed with prestigious contemporary companies, a Pennsylvania ballet soloist dancing in a duet,” she said, “and Raphael Xavier, alum of Rennie Harris Puremovement [a hip-hop dance company], veteran self-taught breakdancer and multidisciplinary artist.”
Xavier, 40, of Wayne, will present “Black Canvas,” an autobiographic story of his introduction to breakdancing. After being paralyzed for a time after a spine injury in 2007, he’s happy just to be onstage.
Breakdancing has been part of his life for 28 years, but it wasn’t until about 15 years ago that he became a professional. He’s proud to be a dancer/choreographer.
“A lot of people look at me as a mentor in the hip-hop form and I learn from them as they learn from me,” he said. “As I get older, the dancers get younger and I can usher them into my world of work if they have an interest to do that. So sharing with this form and giving back to the community is important for me.”
It’s also important to Mulgrew, who taught at Penn State Abington for 20 years and at Temple University, where she earned her MFA in dance, and who does outreach at schools and the University City Arts League.
She hopes new audiences will come out to see the performers, especially since they get a say in who wins.
“This show is special because it empowers the audience by giving them a voice,” she said.
The event is unique, too, in that dancers and choreographers who may not have appeared together will do so. And it’s fun and interesting when different approaches, methods and styles take the same stage, she said.
The choreographers already are winners because only a few have been selected by a panel of experts to compete. So audiences will see amazing and talented dancers, she said. The bonus for the participants — they have the chance to win money to help them keep doing what they love.
“In these challenging times, money to create new work is a good thing,” said Mulgrew, who created the experimental-interdisciplinary modern-based company Anne-Marie Mulgrew and Dancers Co. (AMM & DC), which recently celebrated its 25th anniversary. She says she loves living an artistic life.
“I have been fortunate to live the life of a dancer, choreographer, director, educator, promoter, fundraiser, activist, advocate and organizer,” she said. “Dance is my life, passion and obsession.”
And she, like all the performers, can’t wait to share that passion with viewers in this revolutionary show.
“The A.W.A.R.D. Show!”
(Artists with Audiences
Responding to Dance),
presented by Dance Affiliates,
will take place
at the Arts Bank,
601 S. Broad St.,
Philadelphia, PA 19147,
Wednesday – Saturday,
May 18 – 21, 7 p.m.
Tickets: $15 per show;
$40 for all four shows.
Info: 215-893-1999 or
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