News of Note: What You Might Have Missed in October 2020
Here are the latest promotions, appointments and departures, plus notable awards and accomplishments, from the last month.
Comings & Goings
Kim Y. Bears-Bailey
has been named artistic director of Philadanco. Founder Joan Myers Brown is now artistic advisor; Janine Beckles assistant artistic director; Donald T. Lunsford II artistic director of D/2.
Wayne McGregor
has been appointed director of dance for La Biennale di Venezia for 2021–24.
Jose Sebastian
has been appointed director of ABT Incubator, succeeding David Hallberg.
Chun Wai Chan
will join New York City Ballet as a soloist beginning with the 2021–22 season. Principal dancers Maria Kowroski, Gonzalo Garcia and Ask la Cour will retire from the company during the 2021–22 season.
Awards & Honors
Courtesy John D. & Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation
Ralph Lemon
was named a 2020 MacArthur Fellow, which comes with a $625,000 unrestricted grant.
Jaamil Olawale Kosoko
received a 2020 Pew Fellowship, which includes a $75,000 unrestricted grant. The Pew Center for Arts & Heritage also awarded project grants to Kun-Yang Lin/Dancers for WHERE IS MY B-O-D-Y, a collaboration with Gus Solomons jr and Pallabi Chakravorty, and Pig Iron Theatre Company for The Pregnant Speakeasy, which will feature choreography by Faye Driscoll.
The first cohort of Disability Futures Fellows includes Alice Sheppard, Jerron Herman and Perel. Each Fellow will receive a $50,000 grant.
Recipients of 2020 Olivier Awards include Mthuthuzeli November (Best New Dance Production for Ingoma, created for Ballet Black), Sarah Baras (Outstanding Achievement in Dance for Ballet Flamenco—Sombras), and Matthew Bourne and Stephen Mear (Best Theatre Choreographer for Mary Poppins).
National Ballet of Canada
received the 2019/20 Pat Arato Community Partner Award.
Toni Pimble
received one of Oregon’s 2020 Governor’s Arts Awards.
