Dance Magazine is celebrating their 90th anniversary issue this month. To commemorate the occasion, they put together a list of who they feel are some of the most relevant and important people in the dance world at this current moment.
The list of 34 people includes some very familiar names: Justin Beck, Benjamin Millepied, Ohad Naharin, Lil' Buck, Robert Battle, Michelle Dorrance, and Andy Blankenbuehler. But there were a few names on there that aren't as well known - here are some of our favorites.
Katherine E. Brown is the first executive director of New York City Ballet, and therefore is also the executive director of its home theater, the David H. Koch Theater. This awesome lady is in charge of a 141-person staff, and manages NYCB's $90 million budget.
Sydney Skybetter has carved out a career merging dance and technology. He is currently a lecturer and public humanities fellow at Brown University, and has created the Conference for Research on Choreographic Interfaces, bringing together dancers, musicians, and scholars to examine the future of movement.
Christy Bolingbroke is the founding executive/artistic director for the National Center for Choreography at the University of Akron in Ohio. She has created a dedicated laboratory space for choreographers like John Jasperse, Tere O'Connor, and Dianne McIntyre to come and create work.
Joe Lanteri is the director of the New York City Dance Alliance conventions, which helps mentor young artists and help them establish their careers. His charitable NYCDA Foundation has also given over $22 million in scholarships to over 400 students in the last seven years.
The other part of the story, however, is who the dance community feels was unfairly left off the list. And when Dance Magazine asked for readers to send them some names that were omitted, there were hreftons of suggestions! Some of the most popular were: Camille A. Brown, Kyle Abraham, Mavis Staines, and Anthony Morigerato.