The committees of the Chita Rivera Awards, named for the legendary star of such iconic Broadway hits as Chicago, Bye Bye Birdie, Kiss of the Spider Woman, and Nine, have announced their nominations for excellence in dance and choreography in the 2018-19 Broadway and Off-Broadway season.
Topping this year’s list of Broadway nominees is Kiss Me, Kate, with a total of five nominations, followed closely by Ain’t Too Proud – The Life and Times of The Temptations with four. Sharing the top honors for Off-Broadway are Alice by Heart and Smokey Joe’s Cafe, both with five.
The nominations for Broadway shows are:
Outstanding Choreography: Warren Carlyle, Kiss Me Kate; Denis Jones, Tootsie; David Neumann, Hadestown; Casey Nicholaw, The Prom; Sergio Trujillo, Ain’t Too Proud – The Life and Times of The Temptations
Outstanding Male Dancer: Corbin Bleu, Kiss Me, Kate; Rick Faugno, Kiss Me, Kate; James T. Lane, Kiss Me, Kate; Jeremy Pope, Ain’t Too Proud – The Life and Times of The Temptations; Ephraim Sykes, Ain’t Too Proud – The Life and Times of The Temptations
Outstanding Female Dancer: Ashley Blair Fitzgerald, The Cher Show; Gabrielle Hamilton, Oklahoma!; Amber Gray, Hadestown; Leslie Kritzer, Beetlejuice; Angie Schworer, The Prom
Outstanding Ensemble in a Broadway Show: Ain’t Too Proud – The Life and Times of The Temptations; Hadestown; King Kong; Kiss Me, Kate; The Cher Show; The Prom
The nominations for Off-Broadway shows are:
Outstanding Choreography: Joshua Bergasse, Smokey Joe’s Cafe; Raja Feather Kelly, If Pretty Hurts, Ugly Must Be a Muhfucka; Rick and Jeff Kuperman, Alice By Heart; Lorin Latarro, Merrily We Roll Along; Shea Sullivan, Neurosis, A Musical That Gets in Your Head
Outstanding Male Dancer: Brennan Caldwell, Neurosis, A Musical That Gets in Your Head; Zachary Downer, Alice By Heart; Brendan Henderson, Cleopatra; Jelani Remy, Smokey Joe’s Cafe; Wesley Taylor, Alice By Heart
Outstanding Female Dancer: Emma Degerstedt, Smokey Joe’s Cafe; Mia Dilena, Alice By Heart; Irina Dvorovenko, The Beast in the Jungle; Dionne D. Figgins, Smokey Joe’s Cafe; Naomi Kakuk, The Beast in the Jungle
Outstanding Ensemble: Alice By Heart; Fiddler on the Roof; If Pretty Hurts, Ugly Must Be a Muhfucka; Smokey Joe’s Cafe; Twelfth Night
In addition to the awards for theater, achievements in film are also recognized; for the list of those nominees, visit the Chita Rivera Awards. Congratulations and thanks to all of the nominees for their exceptional contributions to the world of dance and entertainment.
The Chita Rivera Awards will be presented on Sunday, May 19, 2019, at NYU Skirball Center – 566 LaGuardia Place, NYC. For tickets, call (212) 998-4941, or purchase them online.