Darrell Jones, winner of the third annual Juried Bessie Award.
The temperatures ran high at the Gibney Dance Center in the Flatiron District last week, and that was not only because of the blistering weather! All those in attendance were sweating out the announcement of the winners of the year’s first two Bessie Awards, along with the nominees for the rest of this year’s Award slate.
The New York Dance and Performance Awards, informally known as the Bessie Awards were named in honor of influential dancer and choreographer, Bessie Schonberg, are awarded annually for innovative achievement in dance and related performances, particularly so-called “downtown” performances.
Recently, the awards have been presented in partnership with Dance/NYC at The Apollo Theater. The 2013 Bessie Award ceremony will take place on October 7th at The Apollo Theater.
Lucy Sexton, Bessie’s producer and host of the event, made the mission of the institution clear: “We care about people who create and who move us forward.”
Darrell Jones emerged as the winner of the Juried Bessie Award, tearing up as he described his “love of process” and humorously credited his father’s ambiguous philosophical advice for bringing him where he is today. “He would always say something that would make you say ‘What did he mean with that? You had to find out, yourself.” Jones explained. He described his work as being “something between the known and the unknown,” something that will really leave the audience thinking…much in the same way as his father’s advice. Looking forward in his career Jones said: “I am hopeful to start touring my project soon.”
Joanna Kotze, who took the Outstanding Emerging Choreographer honor.
Like Jones, Joanna Kotze, the winner of Outstanding Emerging Choreographer, shares a tendency to let the audience interpret her work. “My choreographies convey a strong desire to move,” she said. “I present with both known moves and uncommon ones.” This experimental approach to dance gained the young Kotze an award that she wasn’t expecting. “I was already honored to be one of the nominees,” she stated, “I can’t thank you enough for taking a chance on me.” Kotze said that “she is always up to new projects” and warns her audience to expect something else from her soon.
The rest of the Award Winners will be announced at the Fall ceremony at the Apollo. Among them will be; Outstanding Musical Composition/Sound Design, Outstanding Visual Design, Outstanding Revived Work, Outstanding Production, Outstanding Production of a work stretching the boundaries of a traditional form and Outstanding Performers.
For more information about the Bessie Awards, go to: www.dancenyc.org/bessies/
- Ludovica Martella