18 Jun KSF Artists of Choice: US Dance Selection Panel
Today we enjoyed our penultimate day of shortlist interviews for KSF Artists of Choice, this time with our US Dance Category. We were excited to have on our selection panel some of the top US dance professionals working in the industry right now. Find out more below.
Garth Fagan is the founder and artistic director of the award-winning and internationally acclaimed Garth Fagan Dance, now celebrating its 45th anniversary season. He was awarded the prestigious Tony Award for Best Choreography for The Lion King, as well as a Drama Desk, Outer Critics Circle, Astaire and Laurence Olivier Award for the musical. His work in the theatre also includes the Duke Ellington street opera, Queenie Pie, at the Kennedy Center in 1986 and the opening production of Joseph Papp’s New York Shakespeare Festival’s Shakespeare Marathon: A Midsummer Night’s Dream (1988), set in Brazil and directed by A.J. Antoon.
Kevin McKenzie is artistic director of American Ballet Theatre. He was a leading dancer with both the National Ballet of Washington and The Joffrey Ballet before joining American Ballet Theatre as a Soloist in March 1979. He was appointed a principal dancer the following December and danced with the Company until 1991. He was appointed artistic director in 1992.
Nicky Paraiso is Director of Programming at The Club at La MaMa and is also Curator for the annual La MaMa Moves! Dance Festival, now celebrating its 10th Anniversary. He is an actor/ performer in the NY downtown theatre, dance and performance scene and his work has toured internationally. His awards include a 1987 New York Dance & Performance BESSIE Award, a 2004 Spencer Cherashore Fund grant for mid-career actors, a 2005 NY Innovative Theater Award, and the 2012 BAX Arts and Artists in Progress Arts Manager Award.
KSF Artists of Choice is a pioneering funding and mentoring initiative for UK and US based emerging artists working in theatre, musical theatre, music, dance or film. Epitomizing KSF’s aim of ‘sending the elevator back down’ it will provide funding, year-round support and mentoring by industry heavyweights. Once we’ve completed shortlist interviews in the UK and the US, we hope to announce our award recipients by early July.