Dance/USA Will Honor Stoner Winslett, Rita Mustaphi, and More

Dance/USA, the national service organization for the dance ecosystem, announces the recipients of the Dance/USA Honor, 'Ernie', Champion, and Trustees Awards, to be presented at the 2025 Dance/USA National Conference in Chicago, June 17-20. New this year, Dance/USA will also present the inaugural Emerging Leader Award.

Awardees Include:

• Stoner Winslett, Founding Artistic Director of Richmond Ballet, will receive the Dance/USA Honor Award;

• Rita Mustaphi, Artistic Director of Katha Dance Theatre, will receive the Dance/USA Ernie Award;

• National Dance Project (NDP), a program of the New England Foundation for the Arts, will receive the Dance/USA Trustees Award;

• Joel Hall, Artistic Director Emeritus of Joel Hall Dancers & Center, will receive the Dance/USA Champion Award;

• Jessica Leyva, Executive Director of Chicago Dance Crash, and Jonathan Pacheco of Ensemble Español Spanish Dance Theater will receive the Dance/USA Emerging Leader Award.

"These Dance/USA Awards mark a time-honored tradition of honoring remarkable leaders in our industry. We are filled with joy to celebrate these individuals and organizations at our upcoming National Conference in Chicago. Each artist and organization has dedicated deep commitment, labor, and ingenuity to the U.S. dance ecosystem; we are grateful for their contributions!" - Kellee Edusei, Dance/USA Executive Director

The Dance/USA Awards have been given to extraordinary leaders in the dance ecosystem, both artists and administrators, over the past thirty years. The awards are a tradition of Dance/USA beginning in 1986 with the first Honor Awards given to Antony Tudor and Martha Graham and in 1990 with the first 'Ernie' Award given to Ian 'Ernie' Horvath. Over the years, outstanding leaders such as Arthur Mitchell, Paul Taylor, Alvin Ailey, Deborah Jowitt, Sam Miller, Katherine Dunham, and many more have been recognized for their achievements and contributions to the national dance community.

The Dance/USA Honor, 'Ernie', and Trustees Awards recognize an individual's contributions to dance in America and acknowledge the roles they play in the national dance landscape. Nominations for Dance/USA's Honor and 'Ernie' awards were accepted from the entire dance ecosystem, and the final selection is made by Dance/USA's Awards Impact Group. The Trustees Award is given at the discretion of the Dance/USA Board of Trustees to recognize an outstanding professional or organization whose work has special significance to the community.

The Dance/USA Champion Award honors an organization, foundation, or individual in the National Conference host city (Chicago, IL in 2025) whose achievements, leadership, and unwavering support have significantly advanced and sustained the local dance ecosystem. This award celebrates those who have made a lasting impact on the city's dance landscape, ensuring its vibrancy and growth. The inaugural Emerging Leader Award recognizes an individual in Chicago (the site of Dance/USA's 2025 National Conference) who has demonstrated exceptional contributions to the city's dance ecosystem within the first 10 years of their career. This inaugural award highlights the rising leaders who are shaping the future of dance in Chicago.

Photo credits: Stoner Winslett (photo Todd Wright); Rita Mustaphi (photo Kalyan Mustaphi); National Dance Project Team Indira Goodwine-Josias, Cheri Opperman, Kristin Gregory (photo Jeffrey Filiault); Joel Hall (photo Rachel Neville Studios); Jessica Leyva (photo Ashley Deran Photography); Jonathan Pacheco (photo KT Miller Photography)

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