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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 long-standing 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 outstanding 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 acknowledges the roles they play in the national dance community. Nominations for Dance/USA’s Honor and ‘Ernie’ awards are accepted from the entire dance ecosystem, and the final selection is made by the Dance/USA Board of Trustees. The Trustees Award is given at the discretion of the Dance/USA Board of Trustees to recognize an outstanding professional whose work has special significance to the community.
Dance/USA Honor Award
The Honor Award is given to an individual for demonstrated achievements, extraordinary leadership, and exceptional contributions to the national dance ecosystem which consistently reflect a high level of artistic excellence, creative force of vision, and breadth of work.
Dance/USA ‘Ernie’ Award
The ‘Ernie’ Award is given to an individual working “behind the scenes” within the infrastructure of the national dance community, who has demonstrated extraordinary leadership, outstanding value in the ecosystem, and whose achievements have influenced and significantly advanced the work of artists and supported their creativity.
The ‘Ernie’ Award is named for the late dancer, choreographer, director, AIDS activist, and dance champion Ian ‘Ernie’ Horvath, in recognition of his important role in dance history and his passionate commitment to growing and strengthening the national dance community.
Dance/USA Trustees Award
The Trustees Award is given at the discretion of the Dance/USA Board of Trustees to recognize an outstanding professional whose work has special significance to the ecosystem.
Dance/USA Champion Award
The Champion Award is given to any organization, business, foundation, or individual within Dance/USA’s national Conference host city whose achievements, leadership, and support have sustained and/or significantly advanced dance in the local community.
Dance/USA Emerging Leader Award
The Emerging Leader Award is presented to an individual in the Dance/USA National Conference host city who has made significant contributions to the city’s dance ecosystem in the first 10 years of their career and/or demonstrates exemplary potential as a future leader but may not currently be in a formal leadership position. The inaugural presentation of this award will take place at the 2025 National Conference, June 17-20, in Chicago, IL.
Dance/USA 2025 Awards Sponsor
1986 Antony Tudor & Martha Graham
1988 Robert Joffrey & Merce Cunningham
1990 Agnes de Mille, Paul Taylor, & Alvin Ailey
1992 Katherine Dunham & Bella Lewitzky
1994 Alexandra Danilova & Charles Reinhart
1996 Willam Christensen & Donald McKayle
1998 Judith Jamison & Bruce Marks
2000 Jeraldyne Blunden & David R. White
2002 Chuck Davis
2004 Arthur Mitchell
2006 Anna Halprin
2008 Frederic Franklin
2009 Tina Ramirez
2010 Carmen de Lavallade
2011 Lar Lubovitch
2012 Helgi Tomasson
2013 Joan Myers Brown
2014 Liz Lerman
2015 Trisha Brown
2016 Jawole Willa Jo Zollar
2017 Cleo Parker Robinson
2018 Debbie Allen
2019 Dianne McIntyre
2021 Donald Byrd
2022 Judith Smith
2023 Virginia Johnson
