News

Kyle Marshall and Marjani Forté-Saunders

The Harkness Promise Awards, which offer a $5,000 grant, 40 hours of rehearsal space and ongoing mentorship for innovative young choreographers in their first decade of presenting professional work, will go to Kyle Marshall and Marjani Forté-Saunders. These awards, given in partnership with the Harkness Foundation for Dance, are funded by net proceeds from the Dance Magazine Awards ceremony.

Marshall has presented his company Kyle Marshall Choreography at BAM New Wave Festival, Jacob’s Pillow Inside/Out, Joe’s Pub, and NYC Summerstage. Forté-Saunders, a former member of Urban Bush Women, is currently collaborating with her partner, composer Everett Asis Saunders, as 7NMS; the pair also directs ART & POWER, an emerging platform for artists, writers, scientists, spiritualists and scholars, dedicated to Black purpose and innovation.

Check out Dance Magazine’s December issue to learn more about each of these incredible artists. A ceremony to celebrate them will take place virtually on Monday, December 7, with performances and presentations for each honoree. For ticket information, visit dancemediafoundation.org.

Press Release (PDF) > 

BOBBI JENE SMITH

Hailing from Centerville, Iowa, Bobbi Jene Smith is an alumna of the Juilliard School, North Carolina School of the Arts, and the Royal Winnipeg Ballet School. From 2005-2014 she was a member of the Batsheva Dance Company under the artistic direction of Ohad Naharin. The 2017 film Bobbi Jene, which followed Smith’s trajectory of leaving Batsheva to create her own work, swept the Tribeca Film Festival documentary category. Her choreography has been presented by numerous dance companies, colleges and festivals in the U.S. and abroad. Smith’s film and video work includes Annihilation, MA, and Yossi. She stars in and choreographed the upcoming feature films Mari and Aviva. Smith has been a certified GAGA teacher for the past 13 years and has taught Ohad Naharin’s repertory in schools and universities worldwide. She regularly teaches at the Juilliard School, NYU and UArts.

CALEB TEICHER

Caleb Teicher is a NYC-based dancer and choreographer specializing in American jazz dance traditions. He is a 2019 New York City Center Choreographic Fellow, a 2019 Bessie Award nominee in three categories, a 2019 recipient of NEFA’s National Dance Project Production Grant, one of Dance Magazine’s 2012 “25 to Watch”, and a 2011 Bessie Award Winner for Outstanding Individual Performance. Teicher began his career as a founding member of Dorrance Dance and also danced with The Chase Brock Experience, The Bang Group, Syncopated City Dance Company, and many others. Since founding Caleb Teicher & Company in 2015, Teicher’s creative work includes engagements and commissions from The Joyce Theater, New York City Center, Works & Process @ The Guggenheim, The Kennedy Center (with Ben Folds & the National Symphony Orchestra), Regina Spektor’s residency on Broadway, and touring in the US and abroad. He teaches at tap and jazz festivals.

Press Release (PDF)  >

Press Release (PDF) >

The Harkness Foundation for Dance mourns the passing of our longtime Chairman and dear friend Bill Perlmuth, whose dedication to supporting the dance field over many decades made a significant impact on countless dance organizations.  Mr. Perlmuth was of counsel to the law firm Stroock & Stroock & Lavan LLP since 1997, a partner from 1962-1996, and a member of the firm’s Executive Committee from 1976 to 1994. He was previously with Cravath, Swaine & Moore and was a member of New York State and City Bar Associations. Mr. Perlmuth received his LL.B from Columbia University Law School where he was a Stone Scholar, Columbia Law Review Editor, and a member of Kent Court and Phi Delta Phi. He received his A.B. from Wilkes College. In addition to the Harkness Foundation, Mr. Perlmuth was a Trustee of the NYU Hospital for Joint Diseases (Chairman of the Board 1996-2007); NYU Langone Medical Center; Wilkes University; School of American Ballet; Brooklyn Academy of Music; New York City Center; The Aeroflex Foundation; and The Weininger Foundation. Our deepest condolences to his wife Patty and his daughters Lyn and Diane and their families. He will be profoundly missed.

Dance Magazine is pleased to announce that the annual Dance Magazine Awards, the most prestigious awards event in dance, will make the Harkness Foundation for Dance the beneficiary of the proceeds from the event, which will be held on Monday, December 4, at the Ailey Citigroup Theater (405 West 55th Street) in Manhattan. The Harkness Foundation for Dance, a leading donor to dance, will in turn designate the proceeds to a newly created award to assist choreographers in their first decade of professional work.

”I am thrilled that we are able, in partnership with the Harkness Foundation, to provide tangible support to the dance community. I could think of no better way to leverage the power of Dance Magazine, now celebrating its 90th anniversary.” — Frederic M. Seegal, owner and CEO, Dance Media Publications, LLC

The Dance Magazine Awards recognize outstanding men and women whose contributions have left a lasting impact on dance. The tradition dates back to 1954. The new Harkness Promise Award seeks to shine a light on the other end of the spectrum, recognizing emerging young artists for the promise of their artistic work, and also for their innovative thinking about how to be an effective artist-citizen who positively impacts dance and the broader community through performance, education, organization, activism or other means.

The Harkness Promise Award will include a $5,000 unrestricted grant, up to 40 hours of studio space within the grant year, and ongoing consulting and mentorship with Joan Finkelstein, the foundation’s executive director. A performance project may result from this support, but is not a condition of the award. The first recipient(s) will be announced in the fall of 2018.

“The Harkness Foundation for Dance is honored to partner with the dance field’s indisputable magazine of record, Dance Magazine. The Foundation is excited about this new initiative, which will extend our ability to support the future of the dance field.” — Joan Finkelstein, Executive Director, The Harkness Foundation for Dance

The winners of the 60th annual Dance Magazine Awards will be announced in the October 2017 issue of Dance Magazine. To facilitate the success of the awards event and fundraising for the Harkness Promise Award, a gala committee is in formation.

About Dance Magazine: For 90 years, Dance Magazine has provided insight and practical information, as well as news, interviews and beautiful, original photography. Dance Magazine illuminates the art form on a global scale, often breaking ground with fiercely personal accounts of life as a dancer. Dance Magazine is published by Dance Media Publications, LLC, whose properties also include: Dance Spirit®, Dance Teacher®, Pointe® and Dance Retailer NewsTM, plus associated websites and apps.

About The Harkness Foundation for Dance: The Harkness Foundation for Dance is a private grant-making foundation dedicated to invigorating and supporting the dance art form, predominantly in New York City. Since 1959, the Harkness name has been synonymous with dance philanthropy. The Foundation carries forward the lifelong dedication to the dance art form of the great American dance patron Rebekah Harkness. Over many decades, this support has taken the form of funding, rehearsal and theater space, technical assistance, and guidance—an unrivaled legacy that has touched countless dance artists and companies in all dance styles and genres. With a broad focus that spans dance creation, presentation, education, medicine and other vital services to the dance field, from 1986 to the present the Harkness Foundation has contributed over $30 million to more than 560 organizations across the industry.