The Dance/USA Awards have been given to extraordinary leaders in the dance field, 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 Anthony 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 field.
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 field, 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 field. The Dance/USA Awards are presented each year at the Opening Night Celebration during the Dance/USA Annual Conference.
The 2017 Awards will be presented at the Opening Night Celebration on Wednesday, June 7, 2017.
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 | 2006 Anna Halprin |
| 1988 Robert Joffrey and Merce Cunningham | 2008 Frederic Franklin |
| 1990 Agnes de Mille, Paul Taylor and Alvin Ailey | 2009 Tina Ramirez |
| 1992 Katherine Dunham and Bella Lewitzky | 2010 Carmen De Lavallade |
| 1994 Alexandra Danilova and Charles Reinhart | 2011 Lar Lubovitch |
| 1996 Willam Christensen and Donald McKayle | 2012 Helgi Tomasson |
| 1998 Judith Jamison and Bruce Marks | 2013 Joan Myers Brown |
| 2000 Jeraldyne Blunden and David R. White | 2014 Liz Lerman |
| 2002 Chuck Davis | 2015 Trisha Brown |
| 2004 Arthur Mitchell | 2016 Jawole Willa Jo Zollar 2017 Cleo Parker Robinson |
Freed of London is proud to exclusively sponsor this year’s Dance/USA Honor Award presented to Cleo Parker Robinson.
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 | 2008 Anna Kisselgoff |
| 1992 Richard E. LeBlond Jr. | 2009 Sali Ann Kriegsman |
| 1994 Martha Hill Davis and Bessie Schoenberg | 2010 Richard J. Caples |
| 1996 Barbara Horgan and Ivan Sygoda | 2011 Verdery Roosevelt |
| 1998 Deborah Jowitt | 2012 Sam Miller |
| 2000 Norton Owen and John R. Killacky | 2013 Barbara Weisberger |
| 2002 Cora Cahan | 2014 D. David Brown |
| 2004 Sage Cowles | 2015 Linda Shelton |
| 2006 Madeleine Nichols | 2016 Ann Williams 2017 Gina Gibney |
| 2004 Alan M. Kriegsman | 2012 C.C. Conner, Jr. |
| 2007 Dr. Richard Gibbs | 2013 Sharon Gersten Luckman |
| 2008 Rena Shagan | 2015 Raven Wilkinson |
| 2011 Andrea Snyder | 2016 Ella Baff |
| 2010 The Morris and Gwendolyn Cafritz Foundation and the Meyer Foundation | 2014 Dr. Robert and Katherine Goodale |
| 2011 Pamela Crutchfield | 2015 Toby Lerner Ansin |
| 2012 Chris & Warren Hellman and Kary Schulman | 2016 Sarah & Dr. Ernest Butler 2017 Billie Mahoney |
