Presenters Announced for 2011 Fred & Adele Astaire Awards, 5/15

Patricia Watt, Executive Producer of the 2011 Fred & Adele Astaire Awards, has announced the first group of Presenters for the 29th Annual Fred & Adele Astaire Awards, In addition to Len Cariou and Brian Stokes Mitchell who will co-present the Douglas Watt Lifetime Achievement Award to legendary, dancer, choreographer, teacher and star of stage, film and television Jacques d'Amboise, additional presenters include Bill Irwin, Maurice Hines, Christine Andreas, Charlotte d'Amboise, Christopher d'Amboise and Karen Ziemba.

The Fred and Adele Astaire Awards the only awards to recognize excellence in dance and choreography on Broadway and in film will take place May 15,2011 at the Skirball Center for the Performing Arts at New York University, 566 LaGuardia Place) New York City 10019. The gala evening will begin with a VIP cocktail reception at 6pm with the Awards Presentation and Show at 7:30pm. Once again the Awards Gala will benefit Dance Education. Hosted by Bebe Neuwirth and Lee Roy Reams, the evening is presented by Patricia Watt, Producer of the awards, Ava Astaire and The Douglas Watt Family Fund for the Performing Arts.

Nominees expected to attend include Daniel Radcliffe, Nick Adams, J Elaine Marcos, Sutton Foster, Benoit Swan Pouffer, Benjamin Millepied, Denise Faye and Joey Pizzi. Melanie LaPatin (So You Think You Can Dance) will also walk the red carpet.

The late Douglas Watt founded The Astaire Awards with Fred Astaire. His longtime leadership inspired the prize. He spent nearly 6 decades as a Broadway theatre critic for The Daily News and The New Yorker. Watt was instrumental in convincing producer Cheryl Crawford to bring the New Jersey revival of PORGY AND BESS to Broadway in 1941, helping to solidify the show's landmark place in history. Watt was one of the founders of the Drama Desk Awards and served on the nominating committee for both the Pulitzer Prize for Drama and the Tony Awards. Watt died at the age of 95 on September 29, 2009 Nominees for excellence in dance & choreography on Broadway were announced on April 26th at a special reception at the Firebird Russian Restaurant hosted by Patricia Watt, Carolyn & Ronald Buchter.

2011 Fred & Adele Astaire Awards on May 15 presented by Ava Astaire and the Douglas Watt Family Fund for the Performing Arts will benefit dance education in public schools serving autistic and disabled children and The Adele Astaire Scholarship Fund for promising young dancers.

Executive Producer: Patricia Watt; Co-Producer: Joe Lanteri, New York City Dance Alliance; Associate Producer, Bronwen Carson. Director is Joe Lanteri. Honorary Chairs are Judith Jamison and Wendy Federman Awards. Gala Co-Chairs are Carolyn Kendall Buchter, Cassandra Seidenfeld Lyster and Bruce Michael. Benefit Co- Chairs are Sara Kaplan Johnson, and Jamie Watkins

Gala Committee includes Jennifer Bank, Raymond Cappodano, Joyce Chasen, Ursula Deljian, Victoria Detiger, Missy Echeverria, Elyse Emmer, Wendy Federman, Terri Gold, Regina Kravitz, Jacqueline Marks, Alix Michel, Coryn Nadeau, Melinda Paltrow, Nancy Pearson, Scott Perrin, Scarlett Pildes, Randi Rahm, Kat Schaffer, Jennifer Taylor and Andrew Wargo

Honorary Committee includes Mr. and Mrs. Richard Adler, Jean Claude Baker, Bob Balaban, Marisa Berenson, Anna Bergman, Patricia Birch, Marge Champion, Arlene Dahl, Jacques d'Amboise, Gracielle Danielle, Eve Ensler, Jules Fisher, Mario Fratti, Mitzi Gaynor, Savion Glover, Joel Grey, Anne Jackson, Susan Jaffee, Arthur Laurents, Rob Marshall, Donna McKechnie, Joey McKneely, Jerry Mitchell, Bebe Neuwirth, Phyllis Newman, Marsha Norman, Robert Osbourne, Jane Powell and Dick Moore ,Harold Prince, Rex Reed, Ann Reinking, Donald Saddler, Liz Smith, Richard Thomas, Sergio Trujillo, Karen Ziemba, Eli Wallach.

This year's Awards will take place at Skirball Center for the Performing Arts at NYU on May 15. The Jack H. Skirball Center for the Performing Arts is the premier venue for the presentation of cultural and performing arts events for New York University and lower Manhattan. Led by executive producer Jay Oliva (President Emeritus, NYU) and senior director Michael Harrington, the programs of Skirball Center reflect NYU's mission as an international center of scholarship, defined by excellence and innovation and shaped by an intellectually rich and diverse environment. A vital aspect of the Center's mission is to build young adult audiences for the future of live performance. www.skirballcenter.nyu.edu

VIP Prime Seating includes 6:00 pm VIP Red Carpet Cocktail Party; Prime Seating at Performance & Post Awards Show VIP Party with Nominees, Recipients and Performers $425.

General Seating (Two Tiers - all have unobstructed views) $150 & $75

For more information or advance ticket purchase for one of the entertainment industry's most electrifying evenings, the 2011 Fred & Adele Astaire Awards on May 15 at the Skirball Center for the Performing Arts at New York University please visit www.theastaireawards.org

2011 Nominees for Excellence In Dance & Choreography on Broadway are:

BROADWAY CHOREOGRAPHER
Rob Ashford - How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying
Marguerite Derricks - Wonderland
Kathleen Marshall - Anything Goes
Jerry Mitchell - Catch Me if You Can
Toby Sedgwick - Warhorse
Susan Stroman - Scottsboro Boys
Anthony Van Laast - Sister Act
Danny Mefford - Bloody, Bloody Andrew Jackson
Casey Nicholaw - Book of Mormon

FEMALE DANCER, BROADWAY
Rachel de Benedet - Catch Me if You Can
Sutton Foster - Anything Goes
Jennifer Frankel - Catch Me if You Can
J. Elaine Marcos - Priscilla, Queen of the Desert
Patina Miller - Sister Act
Laura Osnes - Anything Goes
Angie Schworer - Catch Me if You Can
Megan Sikora - How to Succeed
Samantha Zack - How to Succeed

MALE DANCER, BROADWAY

Nick Adams - Priscilla, Queen of the Desert
Norbert Leo Butz - Catch Me if You Can
Colman Domingo - Scottsboro Boys
Colin Donnell - Anything Goes
Josh Gad - Book of Mormon
Joshua Henry - Scottsboro Boys
Daniel Radcliffe - How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying
Aaron Tveit - Catch Me if You Can
NOMINEES FOR EXCELLENCE IN CHOREOGRAPHY ON FILM:

BLACK SWAN - Choreographer Benjamin Millepied
Burlesque - Choreographer, Denise Faye / Co-Choreographer, Joe Pizzi
Lord of the Dance 3D - Choreographer, Michael Flatley
Mao's Last Dancer - Choreographers - Graeme Murphy and Janet Vernon
Step It Up 3D - Choreographer, Jamal Sims
The Adjustment Bureau - Choreographer, Benoit-Swan Pouffer

Legendary dancer, choreographer & teacher Jacques d'Amboise will receive the 2011 Douglas Watt Lifetime Achievement Award named for the late esteemed drama critic who with Mr. Astaire founded the awards.

 

Photo Credit: Kevin Thomas Garcia