SHUFFLE ALONG, HAMILTON, ON YOUR FEET! Among Nominees for 2016 Astaire Awards; Ceremony Tonight at Skirball!

The 2016 Fred and Adele Astaire Awards gala will be held tonight, May 16, to honor outstanding dance and choreography on Broadway, off-Broadway, and in film, at the NYU Skirball Center for the Performing Arts (566 LaGuardia Place).

For the first time, the Fred and Adele Astaire Awards have explored recognizing excellence in dance, movement, and choreography off-Broadway. Twenty eligible shows in the non-profit and commercial off-Broadway arenas met the eligibility requirements and were considered.

THE 2016 BROADWAY AND OFF-BROADWAY NOMINEES ARE AS FOLLOWS:

BEST FEMALE DANCER

Mara Davi, Dames at Sea
Deanna Doyle, Tuck Everlasting
Sandra Mae Frank, Spring Awakening
Jane Krakowski, She Loves Me
Eloise Kropp, Dames at Sea
Ana Villafane, On Your Feet
Adrienne Warren, Shuffle Along

BEST MALE DANCER

Phillip Attmore, Shuffle Along
Alex Brightman, School of Rock
Daveed Diggs, Hamilton
Carlos Gonzalez, On Your Feet
Curtis Holland, Shuffle Along
Kendrick Jones, Shuffle Along
Luis Salgado, On Your Feet

BEST CHOREOGRAPHER

Andy Blankenbuehler, Hamilton
Warren Carlyle, She Loves Me
Savion Glover, Shuffle Along
Lorin Latarro, Waitress
Spencer Liff, Spring Awakening
Casey Nicholaw, Tuck Everlasting
Sergio Trujillo, On Your Feet
Josh Rhodes, Bright Star
Hofesh Shechter, Fiddler on the Roof
Randy Skinner, Dames at Sea

OUTSTANDING ENSEMBLE IN A BROADWAY SHOW

Bright Star
Dames at Sea
Fiddler on the Roof
Hamilton
On Your Feet
School of Rock
She Loves Me
Shuffle Along
Spring Awakening

OUTSTANDING CHOREOGRAPHY IN FILM

Luke Broadlick, Teresa Espinosa, Alison Faulk & Channing Tatum, Magic Mike XXL
Christopher Gattelli, Hail, Caesar!
Aakomon Jones, Pitch Perfect 2
Joey Pizzi, Lucky Stiff
Fatima Robinson & Charm Jordan, Dance Camp
Dave Scott, High Strung

OUTSTANDING FEMALE DANCER OFF-BROADWAY

Yesenia Ayala, Trip Of Love
Leslie Kritzer, The Robber Bridegroom
Rumi Oyama, Sayonara
Jaime Lynn Verazin, Standard Time
Ellen Zolezzi, Cagney

OUTSTANDING MALE DANCER OFF-BROADWAY

Jeremy Benton, Cagney
Dave Thomas Brown, The Legend Of Georgia McBride
Robert Creighton, Cagney
Cory Lingner, Once Upon A Mattress
Matt McGrath, The Legend Of Georgia McBride

OUTSTANDING CHOREOGRAPHY OFF-BROADWAY

Joshua Bergasse, Cagney
Martha Clarke, Angel Reapers
Connor Gallagher, The Robber Bridegroom
Paul McGill, The Legend Of Georgia McBride
James Ortiz, Claire Karpen & Will Gallacher, The Woodsman
Sergio Trujillo & Darrell Grand Moultrie, Invisible Thread

The inaugural Off-Broadway Committee includes Andy Sandberg (Chair), Jonathan Herzog, Michael Milton, Nikki Feirt Atkins, Judith Jamison, and Lee Roy Reams.

Judith Jamison, Artistic Director Emeritus of Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater will be presented with the Douglas Watt Lifetime Achievement Award. Nigel Lythgoe, Executive Producer of "So You Think You Can Dance," will receive the award for Outstanding Contribution to the Field of Dance. Broadway Director, Choreographer and Tony Nominated Actor Maurice Hines, who appeared off- Broadway this season in his show Tappin' Through Life, will be recognized with a special recognition award for Outstanding Body of

Work in Dance. Dr. Joan Fallon, Founder and CEO of Curemark, will be presented with a special achievement award for her work in the field of autism-related disorders.

Tickets for the 2016 Fred and Adele Astaire Awards begin at $75 and can be purchased at www.nyuskirball.org/calendar/astaire2016 or by calling (888) 611-8183.

Established in 1982, The Fred and Adele Astaire Awards recognize outstanding achievement in dance on Broadway each season. The award was established with the cooperation of Fred Astaire to honor him and his sister, Adele, who starred with her brother in ten Broadway musicals between 1917 and 1931. The awards remain the gold standard for excellence in dance and choreography on Broadway. Since 1982, additional awards have been added to the lineup, including an award for choreography in film, a lifetime achievement award, and a unique award determined annually for exceptional contribution to the field.

The Fred and Adele Astaire Awards benefit The Douglas Watt Family Fund for the Performing Arts. A 501 (c)(3) public charity which provides Dance/Movement Therapy services to students in NYC District 75 Public Schools.