Laurels in Monaco. (News).

The highlight of the second international Monaco Dance Forum, held December 10-14, 2002, was the presentation of the Nijinsky Awards on the final day, at the Grimaldi Forum at the edge of (and partially beneath) the Mediterranean Sea in this sunny playground and tax haven for the rich on the famous Cote d'Azur.

The biennial Dance Forum, under the patronage of the reigning arts-friendly Grimaldi family, was ambitiously launched in 2000. This time, it appears to be well on its way to becoming the golden standard of the dance world's awards presentations, trade shows, and performance venues. Its honorary president and co-founder is H.R.H. Princess Stephanie of Hanover, perhaps best known in the States as a daughter of Grace Kelly and Monaco's sovereign Prince Rainier III. The president and co-founder is Jean-Christophe Maillot, artistic director and principal choreographer of Les Ballets de Monte-Carlo.

The recipient of this year's award for female dancer was Lucia Lacarra, a principal with the Bavarian State Ballet, perhaps best known in the United States for her work as a principal with San Francisco Ballet. Other nominees were Nina Ananiashvili (American Ballet Theatre, Bolshoi Ballet), Alina Cojocaru (Royal Ballet), Aurelie Dupont (Paris Opera Ballet), Tamara Rojo (Royal Ballet), and Diana Vishneva (Kirov Ballet).

The recipient for the male dancer award was Vladimir Malakhov, a principal with American Ballet Theatre and the Vienna State Opera, as well as artistic director of and principal dancer with the Berlin State Opera Ballet. Other nominees were Carlos Acosta (formerly with the Houston Ballet, now with Royal Ballet, and a guest artist with American Ballet Theatre), Julio Bocca (principal dancer and director of Ballet Argentino, principal with ABT), Nicolas Le Riche (Paris Opera Ballet), and Dominique Mercy (Pina Bausch's Tanztheater Wuppertal).

The recipient of the best choreography award was Maillot for his 2001 Sleeping Beauty. Other nominations were for William Forsythe's Kammer/Kammer (2000), Anne Teresa De Keersmaeker's Rain (2002), and Mikhail Baryshnikov's PastForward (2001), which featured the work of seven choreographers and was created for the White Oak Dance Project.

The award for best emerging choreographer went to Sidi Larbi Cherkaoui of Belgium. Other nominees were Emio Greco, Jacopo Godani, Akram Khan, and Christopher Wheeldon.

Among other highlights of the awards evening was an homage to Marcia Haydee, one of the world's beloved ballerinas, whose partnership for thirty years with danseur Richard Cragun was one of the most remarkable and memorable ongoing events of twentieth-century dance. To the delight of the watching dance world, Cragun, who is now the founder and artistic director of Ballet DeAnima Contemporaneo da Cidade do Rio de Janeiro, appeared from backstage to be reunited with the startled and delighted Haydee.

The Forum drew an estimated 10,000 visitors and competitors who attended 16 dance performances, visited the stalls of 56 exhibitors, attended 230 dance film and video showings in the Dance Screen 2002 competition, and auditioned before 55 artistic directors for approximately 20 professional contracts with ballet companies and 40 student scholarships around the world. The awards ceremony was broadcast live on television throughout Europe, England, and in parts of Russia.

The awards are the result of a process of nominations by a committee of 166 dance professionals from 49 countries. A smaller committee voted on the final selections, and the results of open voting by email are incorporated. The recipients are each given substantial cash prizes as well as a bronze copy of a statue of Nijinsky in L'Apres-midi d'un fauna, made in 1912 by Auguste Rodin.