After a year's hiatus due to the pandemic, the World Choreography Awards are returning to the stage. The last time the awards were held was back in November 2019 at the Saban Theatre in Beverly Hills. This year, the show will take place at the Avalon Hollywood on Sunday, May 16, which brings a much-needed boost to the Los Angeles dance community. The entertainment industry was hit hard by closures and cancellations in 2020 that have continued far longer than anyone anticipated when the original lockdown issue was ordered.
With a fresh start on the horizon for performers, the World Choreography Awards demonstrate the promise of what is ahead in the dance industry. The nominees represent the best in TV, film, and on the internet because digital content has taken a prime role in a choreographer's portfolio. Some of the familiar faces included in the nominees' list are also Emmy winners like Tessandra Chavez, Derek and Julianne Hough, Kathryn Burns, Tyce Diorio, Marguerite Derricks and Mandy Moore. And be sure to look for TV favorites like World of Dance, So You Think You Can Dance, and movies like Aladdin, Cats and High Strung: Free Dance in their respective categories.
Dancing with the Stars pro Cheryl Burke will host the show, along with exclusive performances throughout the awards ceremony, which will livestream worldwide for the first time in honor of its 10th anniversary. Early-bird tickets are $10, day-of tickets are $12.50 and the show will be available to watch for 48 hours after the broadcast. The show is produced and directed by Allen Walls and Cheryl Baxter-Ratliff.
The 2020 World Choreography Award nominees:
TV EPISODIC
ASHLEY WALLEN — American Housewife
JAMES ALSOP — Soundtrack
MARGUERITE DERRICKS — The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel
FRED TALLAKSEN — Goliath
KATHRYN BURNS — The Morning Show
COMMERCIALS
AARON SILLIS — Saint Laurent
DENNA THOMSEN — Reebok
KATHRYN BURNS — Pandora
FATIMA ROBINSON — Grown-ish
KAVITA RAO — Asian Pacific American Heritage Month
TV AWARD SHOW/SPECIAL
JEMEL McWILLIAMS — Grammys, Janelle Monáe
TESSANDRA CHAVEZ — Christmas in Rockefeller Center, Derek Hough
DANI VITALE — American Music Awards, Halsey
CALVIT HODGE, Associate Choreographer SARA BIV — Grammys, Camila Cabello
TESSANDRA CHAVEZ, DEREK HOUGH & JULIANNE HOUGH — Holidays with The Houghs
DIGITAL CONTENT INDEPENDENT
MICHAEL DAMESKI — Empty Space
KINJAZ — Wow
KEONE MADRID — Rec Time
TOBIAS ELLEHAMMER — Scream
JONATHAN REDAVID — Come Together
MUSIC VIDEO
TESSANDRA CHAVEZ — Blake McGrath, Innervention
ASHLEY WALLEN — Pink, Walk Me Home
PARRIS GOEBEL — Sam Smith, How Do You Sleep
JA COLLECTIVE — Half·Alive, Breakfast
TESSANDRA CHAVEZ — Derek Hough, A Star is Born
DIGITAL CONTENT
KINJAZ — HyperFlex
KIEL TUTIN — Womxnly
PARRIS GOEBEL — Do You
JULIANNE WATERS — Dance Like A Dad
LEO MOCTEZUMA — Breathe On Me
MOTION PICTURE
JAMAL SIMS — Aladdin
ANDY BLANKENBUELER — Cats
ADAM MURRAY — Rocketman
KENNY ORTEGA & JAMAL SIMS — Descendants 3
TYCE DIORIO, Associate Choreographer PHILLIP CHBEEB — High Strung: Free Dance
TV REALITY SHOW/COMPETITION
SURESH MUKUND — World of Dance, The Kings
BRIAR NOLET, JORDAN CLARK & ALLAIN LUPIEN — World of Dance, Briar Nolet
MANDY MOORE — So You Think You Can Dance, Cats
DERION LOMAN & MADISON OLANDT — World of Dance, Derion and Madison
DEREK HOUGH, MICHAEL DAMESKI, CHARITY ANDERSON, and ANDRES PENATE — World of Dance, Pushin On
LIVE STAGE PERFORMANCE For BROADCAST
KINJAZ — Manband
KIEL TUTIN — iHeart Fiesta – JLo
KATHRYN BURNS — Yes, It’s Really Us Singing: The Crazy Ex-Girlfriend Concert
BRIAN and SCOTT NICHOLSON — Lollapalooza, Ariana Grande
CHRIS GRANT, JAQUEL KNIGHT, JOE BROWN & JAMAL JOSEF — Beyoncé, 7-11 Homecoming
For more information on the World Choreography Awards, visit their website.
Before you go, check out: "LA Dance Moves Has Their Fingers on the Pulse of the Los Angeles Dance Scene"