The Dance/USA Honors Celebration is cause for reflection upon an individual’s contributions to dance in America and an acknowledgement of the roles she/he plays in the national dance community. Presented by the Dance/USA Board of Trustees, the Dance/USA Honor, “Ernie,” and Trustees awards are presented to outstanding members of the national dance community. 

Dance/USA Honor
The Honor goes to an individual who has demonstrated extraordinary leadership in the dance field by reason of artistic excellence and/or force of vision.

1986  Anthony Tudor and Martha Graham
1988  Robert Joffrey and Merce Cunningham
1990  Agnes de Mille, Paul Taylor and Alvin Ailey
1992  Katherine Dunham and Bella Lewitzky
1994  Alexandra Danilova and Charles Reinhart
1996  William Christensen and Donald McKayle
1998  Judith Jamison and Bruce Marks
2000  Jeraldyne Blunden and David R. White
2002  Chuck Davis
2004  Arthur Mitchell
2006  Anna Halprin
2008  Frederic Franklin
2009  Tina Ramirez

Dance/USA ‘Ernie’
The ‘Ernie’ goes to an individual working “behind the scenes” within the infrastructure of the dance field, whose achievements have significantly empowered artists and supported their creativity individually or as a community.

1990  Ian ‘Ernie’ Horvath
1992  Richard E. LeBlond Jr.
1994  Martha Hill Davis and Bessie Schoenberg
1996  Barbara Horgan and Ivan Sygoda
1998  Deborah Jowitt
2000  Norton Owen and John R. Killacky
2002  Cora Cahan
2004  Sage Cowles
2006  Madeleine Nichols
2008  Anna Kisselgoff
2009  Sali Ann Kriegsman

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 field.

2004  Alan M. Kriegsman
2007  Dr. Richard Gibbs
2008  Rena Shagan