Sunday Spotlight: Meet the Princess Grace Award winning Choreographers

Welcome to our “Sunday Spotlight” series, where we recognize many of the incredible artists who have been awarded by the Princess Grace Foundation-USA.

This week, we are delighted to introduce you to some of our celebrated Princess Grace Award-winning Choreographers. These choreographers are masters of movement creation who guide their own companies, create world premieres for the world’s top dance companies, and have expanded their skills into theater, TV and film while continuing to bring their unique choreographic voices to their work.

The Princess Grace Foundation-USA is dedicated to upholding the legacy of Her Serene Highness Princess Grace of Monaco, (neé Grace Kelly) and elevating extraordinary emerging artists in theater, dance and film through career-advancing grants. Through annual unrestricted support, the Princess Grace Awards program recognizes creative generators (animators, theater directors, designers, playwrights, choreographers, filmmakers, etc.) and performance-based creatives (actors, dancers, etc.).

Applications for the Princess Grace Awards 2021 are now closed. The new class of 2021 Princess Grace Award winners will be announced in July 2021.

Camille A. Brown

2006

Camille A. Brown is a choreographer, dancer, director and dance educator whose work reclaims the cultural narratives of African American identity. A prolific choreographer who has created work for Broadway, the Metropolitan Opera (Porgy and Bess), TV (Jesus Christ Superstar), film (Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom) and her own company Camille A. Brown & Dancers where she created her lauded trilogy (Mr. TOL E RAncE, BLACK GIRL: Linguistic Play, ink) on race culture and identity. Camille is also an educator and her company Camille A. Brown & Dancers she has built a multi-faceted platform to share and build understanding for the African American experience and fostering interaction and dialogue across diverse communities. The Princess Grace Foundation was introduced to Camille at the start of her choreographic career and has been honored to be a part of her artistic journey since 2006.

Mr. TOL E. RAncE

Watch her choreography in Netflix’s Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom starring Viola Davis and Chadwick Boseman, take a social dance class through company every Monday at 12pm EST, or watch the Camille’s Ted Talk on the Visual History of Social Dance in 25 Moves

Darrell Grand Moultrie

2007

Darrell Grand Moultrie has established himself as a one of the most diverse and sought after choreographers and master teachers. His ability to move fluidly between multiple genres has led to him creating work for dance companies like Dance Theatre of Harlem, BalletMet, Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater and BalletX, creating movement and choreography for theater such as Invisible Thread and Sugar in Our Wounds, and even creating work for the Queen B - Beyonce - for her Mrs. Carter world tour. Recently Darrell participated in American Ballet Theatre’s bubble residency creating a new work Indestructible Light for the company’s virtual Fall season. The Princess Grace Foundation has been honored to know Darrell since 2007 when he received his Choreography Fellowship.

In the studio with Darrell Grand Moultrie

Watch an excerpt from Ounce of Faith commissioned by Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater and check Ailey All Access and ABT’s calendars for Darrell’s work on their virtual seasons.

Rena Butler

2019

Recently named as the Gibney Company’s first Choreographic Associate, Rena Butler is adept at balancing her performance and choreographic careers. A dancer at Bill T. Jones, Hubbard Street Dance Chicago and now Gibney, Rena has simultaneously been commissioned by Ballet X, Charlotte Ballet and Hubbard Street. As the dance world transitioned to online and virtual performances, Rena created two dance films, A Tale of Two for Hubbard Street and The Under Way for Ballet X in collaboration with the Guggenheim’s Works and Process. While Rena may be one of the most recent Princess Grace Award winners, she is taking the dance world by storm and we can’t wait to see more of her work in the years to come!

A screen shot from Hubbard Street Dance Chicago's season opener, "A Tale of Two".

Watch A Tale of Two and The Under Way

Michelle Dorrance

2012

Michelle Dorrance is an internationally renowned tap dancer and choreographer. Named a MacArthur Genius in 2015, for using her deep understanding of the technique and history of tap dance to deconstruct and reimagine its artistic possibilities, Michelle creates work that combines the musicality of tap and contemporary dance. Her company Dorrance Dance has performed her work at Jacob’s Pillow Dance Festival, the Joyce Theater and around the world and Michelle has created works on companies like Martha Graham and American Ballet Theatre. She is the Director of the School at Jacob’s Pillow Tap program, along with fellow hoofers (and Princess Grace Award winners!) Dormeshia and Derick Grant, educating the next generation of aspiring tap artists. Michelle was first introduced to the Princess Grace Foundation in 2012 when she was working with the Human Rhythm Project and we have been delighted to be part of her artistic journey.

Tap dancer and choreographer Michelle Dorrance is the founder and artistic director of Dorrance Dance/New York

Explore Michelle’s recent residency at Jacob’s Pillow and hoofers can take her virtual class.

Kyle Abraham

2010

Named a MacArthur Genius in 2013 and a 2016 Doris Duke Award recipient, Kyle is a choreographer and performer who is the Artistic Director of A.I.M. by Kyle Abraham and serves on the Board of Jacob’s Pillow Dance Festival. As a choreographer Kyle has created works on some the U.S.’s most prestigious companies including Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater and New York City Ballet, and collaborated with dance icons like Misty Copeland and Taylor Stanley. As the Artistic Director A.I.M. Kyle has expanded his company’s repertory beyond his own iconic works, inviting choreographers like Bebe Miller and Andrea Miller to set work on his company. The Princess Grace Foundation provided support to Kyle in 2010 and has proud to support him ever since.

Celebrated choreographer Kyle Abraham observes dancers as they rehearse at New York City Center.

Watch Kyle’s collaboration with New York City Ballet Principal Dancer Taylor Stanley Ces noms que nous portons created in celebration of Pride, and explore his residency at Jacob’s Pillow.

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Interested in learning more about all of our Award Winners?

Visit us at www.pgfusa.org/award-winners

Photo Credits: Camille A. Brown , Princess Grace Foundation-USA, The Dance Journal , See Chicago Dance , Crain's New York , NPR, WSJ