Broadway steps it up with rebirth of Astaire Awards

March 18, 2008 After that, Adele never returned to the limelight; brother Fred never really left it. In the '80s, once the Astaire Awards became part of the theater landscape, among the lofty winners were such talented terpsichoreans as Gregory Hines, Chita Rivera, Bebe Neuwirth, Tommy Tune, Savion Glover, Ann Reinking, Ann Miller and Donna McKechnie, with awards also going to such choreographers as Michael Bennett, Bob Fosse, Susan Stroman, Jerome Robbins, Peter Martins and George Balanchine. [...] the good news is that after a three-year hiatus, the Astaire Awards are back, now officially known as the Fred & Adele Astaire Awards and under the watchful eye (and thanks to the hard work) of Jennifer Dumas, executive producer of the Auditory Oral School of New York, and Patricia Watts, who'll be producing a gala F&AA awards show June 2 at the Grand Ballroom of the Manhattan Center Studios. Fred Astaire's daughter Ava Astaire McKenzie and her husband, Richard McKenzie, will be honorary chairs of the event, with Ava presenting the awards, which in this new incarnation will be given in five categories: best Broadway male dancer, Broadway female dancer, Broadway choreography, film choreography and a lifetime achievement award.

Subscribe to the Hollywood Reporter and see the entertainment industry from its best angle: the inside looking out. Complete access to real-time news and exclusive analysis that goes behind the scenes from film to television, home video to digital media.

   Subscribe now.