W&EHF Arts Grantees Honored
3 CommentsEach year, Bay Area dance critics and dance community leaders honor local artists through the Isadora Duncan Dance Awards, which recognize outstanding contributions to the field of dance. While W&EHF grantees frequently earn distinction at the ceremony, this year’s celebration was special, with four different Arts grantees receiving awards.
We offer our congratulations to all the winners and encourage you to take a look at the work of these exceptional artists:
Sean Dorsey Dance
Sean Dorsey Dance, one of two Creative Work Fund projects honored in 2019, received this year’s award for Outstanding Achievement in Music/Sound/Text for Boys in Trouble.
Amara Tabor Smith, Ellen Sebastian Chang, and collaborators
Amara Tabor Smith, Ellen Sebastian Chang, and their collaborators’ Creative Work Fund project House/Full of Blackwomen received the Outstanding Achievement in Visual Design award.
World Arts West
Two works produced by World Arts West and created for the San Francisco Ethnic Dance Festival won top awards:
- OngDance for Outstanding Achievement in Performance by a Company, and
- Jyothi Lakkaraju for Outstanding Achievement in Choreography.
(Jyothi Lakkaraju is 10 years old an adult! Her piece was performed by 10-year old Ananya Tirumala. Jyothi shared her award with Trey McIntyre who was recognized for a new work choreographed for the San Francisco Ballet.)
Axis Dance Company
Oakland’s AXIS Dance Company received the Isadora Duncan Sustained Achievement Award, honoring “30 years of innovative artistry, sustained community engagement, and steadfast local and international advocacy for dancers of all ages and abilities.”
AXIS is comprised of performers with and without disabilities. The Fund supports its dance classes in Oakland public schools, which unite special needs students with traditionally abled students.