UPCOMING/DANCE: WORLD CHOREOGRAPHY AWARDS 2022 PREVIEW

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WORLD CHOREOGRAPHY AWARDS 2022 PREVIEW

After a bit of a pared-down event last year, the World Choreography Awards will be back to full-strength this year. So I hope to see you all there this month because this is the only awards show I know of that welcomes the public. And tickets are very affordable, especially for a presentation of this caliber.

A dance from the show in 2015, choreographed by Anthony W. Johnson. Photo by Susan Miller.

A dance from the show in 2015, choreographed by Anthony W. Johnson. Photo by Susan Miller.

Here’s some of what to expect on November 15th: The festivities will be held once again at Avalon in Hollywood, as it was the very first time I attended…eight years ago! In my review, I stated that it was the perfect venue for this awards show, especially because the assemblage had the entire giant floor for a dance party afterwards, so I’m looking very forward to enjoying it there again.

The World Choreography Awards are produced by their creator, the handsome Allen Walls, along with his lovely co-producer Cheryl Baxter-Ratliff. And the show will be hosted by Carmit Bachar, who I understand was one of the Pussycat Dolls. Outside of their name, I’m actually not familiar with them, except for Nicole Scherzinger, and her only because she won Dancing With The Stars back in the day with her genius pro partner, Derek Hough, who is actually a nominee for a Choreo Award again this year. So this particular group of dancers comes full circle here! I love connections like that, which will make watching Carmit host even more interesting.

If the evening is like all the World Choreography Awards I’ve been to before, there will be about an hour of pre-show mingling, which is a hallmark of their events. In the past, it’s always been uber-fun and upbeat, with all the dancers, choreographers, and just plain old dance lovers being happy to meet and greet, even strangers, such as moi! I’ve met some of my favorite dancers there, such as competition show stars Richard Roldan and Michael Dameski, and bumped into people I’ve already known, like my old pal, Oscar winner George Chakiris. And they’ve always been the nicest people. I’ve also run into some of the guys I used to dance with when I ran hip-hop clubs back in the day. And honestly, they’re the only people who haven’t aged in this town! I guess that’s the power of dance.

Just a bit of the pre-show mingling from last year's event, at a different venue. Photo by Karen Salkin.

Just a bit of the pre-show mingling from last year’s event, at a different venue. Photo by Karen Salkin, as is the one at the top of this preview.

My linear mind loves how the production is done, with the entire easy line-up being listed in the programs for us to follow. Along with the actual award presentations, we’re due to get treated to a half dozen live performances. Seeing these incredible performers live is experiencing dancers that you’ve seen only on TV and film before in a whole other dimension! There’s nothing like it.

The World Choreography Awards are known for honoring someone special in the field each year, and this year’s recipient of the Outstanding Educator Honor is Bill Prudich, Founder and Director of the Edge Performing Arts Center. I’m glad to finally learn about that place because it has provided an elite training ground for dancers for the past three decades! (You didn’t think that the best in the world just practice by themselves in their bedrooms like the rest of us, did you?)

Speaking of the training, I can’t sing or play instruments, so when I see others doing those arts, it’s hard for me to figure-out just how they’re accomplishing it. But I used to dance, and choreograph, so one would think that I understand those abilities. But no, I don’t—the incredible nominees for World Choreography Awards are basically magicians to me! I know what it takes, but their work is stuff that no ordinary dancers or choreographers can come up with. And those who’ve never done it cannot even begin to imagine just how much of the artists’ souls goes into each and every piece. Great choreography is one thing that truly deserves the gushing adjective “amazing!”

The Glorya Kaufman School of Dance from 2019's WCA. Photo by Susan Miller.

The Glorya Kaufman School of Dance from 2019’s WCA. Photo by Susan Miller.

I can’t wait to find-out just what else the World Choreography Awards has in store for us this year. And I hope to discover it together with all of my fellow dance lovers reading this. The link to the info you need is below. Supporting dance is one of the most satisfying things you can do!

And a quick piece of advice: Dancers always know to dress-up for special occasions such as this one, so when you attend, please make sure to dress to impress!

For tickets and more information: www.worldchoreographyawards.com .

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