People And Companies In The News

Dance Magazine, Oct, 2000

National Dance Institute founder Jacques d'Amboise will receive a Town Hall Friend of the Arts Award October 22 at New York's Town Hall ... Pennsylvania Ballet principal dancer Jeffrey Gribler is retiring from the stage after twenty-six years with the company; he will serve as its ballet master following the 2000-2001 season ... Jacqueline Z. Davis, former executive director of the Lied Center at the University of Kansas, was appointed executive director of the New York Library for the Performing Arts, effective September 11 ... Dame Antoinette Sibley presented a lifetime achievement award from the Royal Academy of Dancing to famed ballerina Maina Gielgud in July. Gielgud, who most recently served as The Australian Ballet's artistic director, made her debut with Roland Petit and danced with Sadler's Wells Royal Ballet and London Festival Ballet ... Choreographer Bebe Miller was named this year's Bill Como Fellow as part of the New York Foundation for the Arts Artists' Fellowships (Como was Editor in Chief of Dance Magazine); over a dozen choreography fellowships, at $7,000 each, were awarded ... April Taylor, 17, a student of the Myra Mier School of Ballet in New Orleans and a gold medal winner at this year's American Youth Grand Prix, won the $10,000 prize at this year's National Society of Arts & Letters Ballet Competition. Ann Barzel, a senior editor and longtime contributor to Dance Magazine, was also honored for her work at the event, which was held in Chicago in June. Additional winners included Katie Pivarnik, Renee Meiffren, Kelly Sloan, Megan Knickerbocker, Suzanna Haag and Joie Meffert ... Miami City Ballet artistic director Edward Villella has been named the Dorothy F. Schmidt Artist in Residence at Florida Atlantic University for the 2000-2001 academic year. He will teach classes and produce work with the company and FAU students ... Def Dance Jam Workshop founder Aziza, whose Harlem-based agency works with hearing-impaired and physically challenged African-American teens, received a 2000 New York University Samuel and May Rudin Community Service Award in June. The award goes to individuals who provide community service to physically disabled New Yorkers ... Henning Rubsam, artistic director of the New York modern dance company Sensedance, won this year's Emerging Choreographer's Residency at Stephens College in Columbia, Missouri. Rubsam will create a piece to Kurt Weill's Suite Paameenne in honor of the composer's 100th birthday ... Fort Worth Mayor Kenneth Barr presented an artistic achievement award to Texas Christian University choreographer-in-residence Fernando Bujones at a City Hall ceremony in June. Margot Dean, artistic director of Ballet Concerto, where Bujones set work, was also honored ... Joan Weill, former vice chairman at the Alvin Alley Dance Foundation, has been elected board chairman, succeeding Philip Laskaway ... San Francisco Ballet has announced promotions for the 2000-2001 season, including soloists Julie Diana and Guennadi Nedviguine to principal dancer; corps de ballet members Catherine Baker, Peter Brandenhoff, Gonzalo Garcia and former Boston Ballet principal Zachary Hench to soloists, and apprentices Amanda Schull (star of Center Stage), Aaron Orza, Lorin Matias, Maureen Choi and Erin McNulty to corps de ballet members. Additionally, former Royal Ballet principal dancer Bruce Sansom has been named an SFB staff associate, a yearlong administrative post where he will learn the business side of ballet ... Kentucky's Louisville Ballet has named Trevor Cushman (former president and CEO of Connecticut's Hartford Ballet) as executive director, effective as of September 2000 ... Former New York City Ballet principal dancer Richard Marsden joined Walnut Creek, California's Diablo Ballet in August ... Robert Pontarelli, director of public relations and marketing for American Ballet Theatre, left his staff position after twenty years but will remain a consultant to the company ... Hubbard Street Dance Chicago's Lou Conte Dance Studio has established the Jane Ellen Murray Fund for Pre-Professional Dancers. The fund is a five-year, $250,000 endowment from the Jane Ellen Murray Foundation, to support scholarships, master classes and workshops for students in Hubbard Street 2, HSDC's young professional company. In other Hubbard news, Sonya Delwaide, Kristofer Storey and Francesca Harper won the company's National Choreographic Competition this year and did residencies this summer ... Ballet Arizona appointed Sherry New as executive director, effective as of July 2000 ... Lynda Sackett, director of dance, education and outreach at Lakewood, Ohio's Beck Center, will receive the 2000 OhioDance Award for Outstanding Contributions to the Advancement of Dance Education. The award will be given November 4 in Columbus ... Pacific Northwest Ballet has announced that soloists Seth Belliston and Christophe Maraval have been promoted to principal dancers and corps de ballet member Jodie Thomas has been promoted to soloist ... Dayton, Ohio's fifth annual Josie Awards, named for Dayton Ballet founder Josephine Schwartz, went to Terence Greene of the Dayton Contemporary Dance Company and Rachel Carmazzi of the Dayton Ballet ... The Carolyn Dorfman Dance Company appointed Tom Werder (the former managing director of New Jersey's George Street Playhouse) as its new executive director, effective as of Sept. 1,2000 ... Ashley Ellis, of Torrance, California, won the fourth annual Coca-Cola Scholar Award at the American Ballet Theatre Summer Intensive performance August 4 ... The Monaco Danses Dances Forum, held December 12-15 in Monte Carlo, will include "Audition for a First Job," based on earlier video submissions and overseen by a variety of international company representatives. For more information on the forum, email avantscene99@hotmail.com.