Though Carmen de Lavallade lived to 94, news of her death last December came as a kind of shock: She seemed immortal. The most elegant of pioneers—Duke Ellington called her “one of the most ravishing women in the world”—de Lavallade was a self-possessed star of dance, theater, opera, film, and television in an era when […]

It was a starry night in the City of Angels on Monday, as dance-world luminaries gathered at the Debbie Allen Dance Academy for the Dance Magazine Awards. Though the annual ceremony is always a festive affair, this year—its first ever in Los Angeles—it had a special Hollywood sparkle. The evening (sponsored by Backhausdance, Bennington College, […]

This week we’re sharing tributes to all of the 2025 Dance Magazine Award honorees. For tickets to the awards ceremony on December 8, visit store.dancemedia.com. Even when he was a young, up-and-coming choreographer, Kenny Ortega didn’t take on just any project. There always had to be a “raison d’être,” a purpose behind the creation—a lesson Ortega learned from Gene […]

A tradition dating back to 1954, the Dance Magazine Awards are given in appreciation of the artistry, integrity, and resilience that dance artists have demonstrated over the course of their careers. The 2025 awards have a special West Coast focus. Each of this year’s honorees has been instrumental in shaping this vibrant but often underrecognized part of the American dance landscape.

This week we’re sharing tributes to all of the 2025 Dance Magazine Award honorees. For tickets to the awards ceremony on December 8, visit store.dancemedia.com. Frances Chung has been a rock-steady presence at San Francisco Ballet for 24 years, a grounded artist with powerful technique and an expansive movement quality. Her longevity has allowed her to continue adding layers […]

This week we’re sharing tributes to all of the 2025 Dance Magazine Award honorees. For tickets to the awards ceremony on December 8, visit store.dancemedia.com. A choreographer, storyteller, provocateur, and cultural architect, Donald Byrd has shaped not only movement but the very terms of conversations around it. Byrd frames dance as a civic act and social text. Rather than […]

This week we’re sharing tributes to all of the 2025 Dance Magazine Award honorees. For tickets to the awards ceremony on December 8, visit store.dancemedia.com. Some of Mandy Moore’s best-known work is her iconic choreography for La La Land, a movie that follows two creatives trying to make their big, technicolor Los Angeles dreams real. Moore’s own journey through […]

This week we’re sharing tributes to all of the 2025 Dance Magazine Award honorees. For tickets to the awards ceremony on December 8, visit store.dancemedia.com. It started in 1971, in Ohio—at Oberlin College, which had hired Brenda Way as temporary faculty in dance. Soon the mother, sometime political organizer, and former School of American Ballet student was working with […]