Bebe Neuwirth to Host 2017 Chita Rivera Awards at The Al Hirschfeld Theatre

Bebe Neuwirth (two-time Tony and Emmy award winner; Chicago, A Chorus Line, Sweet Charity,"Cheers," "Frasier") will host the Chita Rivera Awards, taking place at The Al Hirschfeld Theatre (302 W. 45th Street) on Monday, September 11 at 7:30 pm, it was announced today by Nikki Feirt Atkins, founder and producing artistic director of American Dance Machine of the 21st Century and producer Patricia Watt.

Tickets for the Chita Rivera Awards are currently on sale and can be purchased at www.ChitaRiveraAwards.com. Ticket prices are as follows: $100 for the Awards show only, $500 for the Awards show and VIP after party at Sardi's, and $5,000 for Awards show and table of 10 at the VIP after party at Sardi's.

The evening, directed by Randy Skinner (42nd Street, Dames At Sea, Irving Berlin's White Christmas), will include performances by The New York City Ballet performing "America" from West Side Story Suite to honor Ms. Rivera, a performance by Robert Fairchild, and ADM21 performing "We'll Take A Glass Together" from Grand Hotel. Musical numbers from several Broadway shows will be announced shortly.

As previously announced, theater and dance legend Tommy Tune will be presented with the inaugural Lifetime Achievement Award at the September 11 ceremony, Diane Paulus will receive the Outstanding Contribution to Musical Theater Award as director and Antonio Vendome will receive the Outstanding Contribution to the Arts and Humanities Award.

The mission of the Chita Rivera Awards is to celebrate dance and choreographic excellence, and the awards seek to continue that vision by not only celebrating the superb achievement of each nominee but by recognizing the immeasurable talents and passion of every theatrical choreographer and dancer.

Nominators considered outstanding choreography, featured dancers and ensemble in shows on Broadway and Off Broadway, as well as, outstanding choreography in film, that opened in the 2016-2017 season.Nominations for the productions under consideration this season were determined by the designated Nominating Committees. There are separate Nominating Committees for Broadway, Off Broadway and Film. There is an Awarding Committee for Broadway, which determines the final nominations that are received from the Broadway Nominations Committee.

American Dance Machine for the 21st Century (ADM21), founded in 2012, is dedicated to creating a living and vibrant archive of classic and current notable musical theater choreography. ADM21 is continuing the legacy of the late Lee Theodore, who established The American Dance Machine in 1976. Theodore created a "Living Archive" of musical theater dance to address her belief that "many great choreographic works are lost with the musical they once embellished." Of concern was that the artistry of each dance would vanish with the artists who created them. That was the impetus that drove The American Dance Machine from its pilot program in 1976 to its final days following the death of Lee Theodore in the late 1980's.

2016-2017 Chita Rivera AWARD DANCE IN THEATER NOMINATIONS:

Outstanding Choreography in a Broadway Show:

Andy Blankenbuehler, Bandstand

Josh Bergasse, Charlie and the Chocolate Factory

Warren Carlyle, Hello Dolly!

Peter Darling and Ellen Kane, Groundhog Day

Kelly Devine, Come from Away

Denis Jones, Holiday Inn

Sergio Trujillo, A Bronx Tale

Outstanding Ensemble in a Broadway Show:

A Bronx Tale

Bandstand

Cats

Come from Away

Hello Dolly!

Holiday Inn

Natasha, Pierre & the Great Comet of 1812

Outstanding Male Dancer in a Broadway Show:

Corbin Bleu, Holiday Inn

John Bolton, Anastasia

Max Clayton, Bandstand

Tyler Hanes, Cats

Ryan Kasprzak, Bandstand

Ricky Ubeda, Cats

Outstanding Female Dancer in a Broadway Show:

Andrea Dotto, Bandstand

Lora Lee Gayer, Holiday Inn

Eloise Kropp, Cats

Georgina Pazcoguin, Cats

Emma Pfaeffle, Charlie and the Chocolate Factory

Megan Sikora, Holiday Inn

Christine Cornish Smith, Cats

Jaime Verazin, Bandstand

Outstanding Choreography in an Off-Broadway Show:

Joshua Bergasse, Sweet Charity

David Dorfman, Indecent

Merete Muenter, The Golden Bride

David Neumann, The Total Bent

Misha Shields, Baghdaddy

Outstanding Female Dancer in an Off-Broadway Show:

Yesenia Ayala, Sweet Charity

Asmeret Ghebremichael, Sweet Charity

Nikka Graff Lanzarone, Sweet Charity

Emily Padgett, Sweet Charity

Lyrica Woodruff, Finian's Rainbow

Outstanding Male Dancer in an Off-Broadway Show:

Ato Blankson-Wood, The Total Bent

Brandon Espinoza, Baghdaddy

Curtis Wiley, The Total Bent

Cody Williams, Sweet Charity

Blake Zolfo, Kid Victory

2016-2017 Chita Rivera AWARD CHOREOGRAPHY IN FILM NOMINATIONS:

Theatrical Release Nominees

Beauty and the Beast (release date, March 17, 2017) Anthony Van Laast, Choreographer

La La Land (released December 25, 2016) MAndy Moore, Choreographer

London Road (released September 9, 2016) Javier De Frutos, Choreographer

Popstar: Never Stop Never Stopping (released June 3, 2016) Danielle Flora and Tian Wang, Co-Choreographers

Documentary Nominees

Alive and Kicking - (About Swing Dancers), (Magnolia Pictures, Distributor) Director: Susan Glatzer

Dancer - (about Russian ballet dancer Sergei Polunin), (WestEnd Films) Director: Steven Cantor

Mr. Gaga - (about Ohad Naharin of Batsheva Dance), (Abramorama Films) Director: Tomer Heymann

Restless Creature - (NYC Ballet ballerina, Wendy Whalen), (Abramorama Films) Directors: Linda Saffire, Adam Schlesinger