The Bessies Announce Emerging Choreographer Nominees

July 8, 2015

The Bessies has a history of highlighting the most exciting dance made in New York City. Officially known as the New York Dance and Performance “Bessie” Awards, the commitee consists of 40 members from various backgrounds. Their 2015 nominees for Emerging Choreographer have just been announced, and they’re as intriguing as ever:

 


Troy Schumacher
, the New York City Ballet corps member who earned many new fans last fall with his inventive NYCB premiere Clearing Dawn, which showcased both complex musicality and a delightful sense of personality. He’d previously choreographed mainly for his own pickup troupe BalletCollective, where he collaborates with artists of all stripes.

 


Moriah Evans
, who recently escorted audience members one-by-one into the theater to watch her Social Dance 1-8: Index at Issue Project Room. Like in several of her pieces, the work had an uncanny way of distinguishing the difference between the dance and the dancer.

 



Storyboard P
, the jaw-dropping contortionist who has taken his form of flex dancing, called mutant, from the streets of Brooklyn to the stages of the Apollo and Sadler’s Wells. He can tell an entire story with a ripple of his arm.

 


Yves Laris Cohen
, who blurs the line between visual art and performance with pieces that explore and illuminate the technical processes behind putting on a dance show. His pieces have repurposed things like New York City Ballet’s portable stage floor, and, most recently, a black curtain.

The winners will be announced next Wednesday, along with the winner of the Juried Bessie Award, for which Susan Marshall, Reggie Wilson and Shen Wei will choose a single choreographer or work to tour to regional theaters. All other nominees (for Outstanding Performer, Outstanding Production, Outstanding Visual Design and Outstanding Music Composition or Sound Design) will also be announced, for an official ceremony to take place this fall.