From our friend Ann Marie deAngelo, the impresario supreme and executive producer/director of The Capezio 130th Anniversary and Capezio Awards in Las Vegas comes a slew of superb photography in what looks to have been a pretty spectacular celebration of dance of all genres.
The event, held May 14, 2018 at the Smith Center in Vegas, was capped by a Life Achievement Award for Debbie Allen, presented by Savion Glover. The evening’s host, Nigel Lythgoe presented the 2018 multigenre Capezio Awards to Michelle Dorrance (tap), David Parsons (modern), Wendy Whelan (ballet) and Mr. Wiggles (hip hop).
Above, First Fall with music by Philip Glass was performed by Capezio Awardee Wendy Whelan and Brian Brooks.
The show unfolded to discover how Capezio’s history reflects the history of dance in America told through the perspective of dance shoes representing the different dance genres (and the romance between a Cobbler and the Ballerina for whom he makes pointe shoes). This work choreographed by Ms. DeAngelo.
The program’s many other performers — Lex Ishimoto and Taylor Sieve in a work by Travis Wall; Sarah Romanowsky in an aerial ballet, tap from Mike Minery and Anthony Morigerato; Contemporary West Dance Theatre’s Bernard H. Gaddis and Kevin Gibbs-Meunier’ DNA (Denys Drozdyuk and Antonina Skobina) in a hybrid-mix of Ballroom, ballet and break-dance; Alissa Dale and Steven Goforth from Nevada Ballet Theater in Christopher Wheeldon’s “Carousel (A Dance)”; The Twelve Eight by Dorrance Dance, among others — all demonstrated the gratitude for the greatest support a dancer can get — good dance shoes! Below, the array of talent behind the event: Lisa Giacoio Egan (Foundation President), Capezio CEO Michael Terlizzi, Ann Marie DeAngelo and Nigel Lythgoe.
