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The Dance/USA Awards have been given to extraordinary leaders in the dance ecosystem, 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 Antony 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 community.
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 ecosystem, 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 community.
The Honor Award is given to an individual for demonstrated achievements, extraordinary leadership, and exceptional contributions to the national dance ecosystem which consistently reflect a high level of artistic excellence, creative force of vision, and breadth of work.
The ‘Ernie’ Award is given to an individual working “behind the scenes” within the infrastructure of the national dance community, who has demonstrated extraordinary leadership, outstanding value in the ecosystem, and whose achievements have influenced and significantly advanced the work of artists and supported their creativity.
The ‘Ernie’ Award is named for the late dancer, choreographer, director, AIDS activist, and dance champion Ian ‘Ernie’ Horvath, in recognition of his important role in dance history and his passionate commitment to growing and strengthening the national dance community.
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 ecosystem.
The Champion Award is given to any organization, business, foundation, or individual within Dance/USA’s national Conference host city whose achievements, leadership, and support have sustained and/or significantly advanced dance in the local community.
| 1986 Antony Tudor & Martha Graham | 2009 Tina Ramirez |
| 1988 Robert Joffrey & Merce Cunningham | 2010 Carmen de Lavallade |
| 1990 Agnes de Mille, Paul Taylor, & Alvin Ailey | 2011 Lar Lubovitch |
| 1992 Katherine Dunham & Bella Lewitzky | 2012 Helgi Tomasson |
| 1994 Alexandra Danilova & Charles Reinhart | 2013 Joan Myers Brown |
| 1996 Willam Christensen & Donald McKayle | 2014 Liz Lerman |
| 1998 Judith Jamison & Bruce Marks | 2015 Trisha Brown |
| 2000 Jeraldyne Blunden & David R. White | 2016 Jawole Willa Jo Zollar |
| 2002 Chuck Davis | 2017 Cleo Parker Robinson |
| 2004 Arthur Mitchell | 2018 Debbie Allen |
| 2006 Anna Halprin | 2019 Dianne McIntyre |
| 2008 Frederic Franklin | 2021 Donald Byrd |
| 2022 Judith Smith |
| 1990 Ian ‘Ernie’ Horvath | 2010 Richard J. Caples |
| 1992 Richard E. LeBlond Jr. | 2011 Verdery Roosevelt |
| 1994 Martha Hill Davies & Bessie Schonberg | 2012 Sam Miller |
| 1996 Barbara Horgan & Ivan Sygoda | 2013 Barbara Weisberger |
| 1998 Deborah Jowitt | 2014 D. David Brown |
| 2000 Norton Owen & John R. Killacky | 2015 Linda Shelton |
| 2002 Cora Cahan | 2016 Ann Williams |
| 2004 Sage Cowles | 2017 Gina Gibney |
| 2006 Madeleine Nichols | 2018 Carla Perlo |
| 2008 Anna Kisselgoff | 2019 Glenn McCoy |
| 2009 Sali Ann Kriegsman | 2021 Zenetta S. Drew |
| 2022 Pamela M. Green |
| 2004 Alan M. Kriegsman | 2015 Raven Wilkinson |
| 2007 Dr. Richard Gibbs | 2016 Ella Baff |
| 2008 Rena Shagan | 2017 Douglas Sonntag |
| 2011 Andrea Snyder | 2018 Mary Verdi-Fletcher |
| 2012 C.C. Conner, Jr. | 2021 Amy Fitterer and Grace B. Gilette |
| 2013 Sharon Gersten Luckman |
| 2010 The Morris and Gwendolyn Cafritz Foundation and the Meyer Foundation | 2016 Sarah & Dr. Ernest Butler |
| 2011 Pamela Crutchfield | 2017 Billie Mahoney |
| 2012 Chris & Warren Hellman and Kary Shulman | 2018 Lula Washington and Erwin |
| 2014 Dr. Robert and Katherine Goodale | 2019 Terry and Sheldon Adelman |
| 2015 Toby Lerner Ansin |
