MAKAROVA HELPS HONOR BROADWAY'S BEST HOOFERS.The annual Astaire Awards, which honor Broadway's dancers and dancemakers, celebrated its twentieth year with a smashing afternoon of dances, film clips, and speeches--and a special appearance by Natalia Makarova Nataliya Romanovna Makarova is a retired ballet dancer. She was born November 21, 1940 in Leningrad in the USSR. When she was 13, she auditioned for the Vaganova Ballet Academy, and was accepted despite being significantly older than most applicants. . Karen Ziemba Karen Ziemba is an American musical theatre actress and dancer known for her work in several Broadway stage productions. For her work, she won one Tony Award and was nominated for three others. Biography Ziemba was born November 12, 1957 in St. , known as the insuppressible in·sup·press·i·ble adj. Impossible to suppress or control; irrepressible. in  sup·press character in Contact who liberates all women from cranky crank·y 1 adj. crank·i·er, crank·i·est 1. Having a bad disposition; peevish. 2. Having eccentric ways; odd. 3. , abusive husbands, was a radiant mistress of ceremonies at the Theatre Development Fund-sponsored event held at New York's Hudson Theatre The Hudson Theater is a no longer active Broadway theater located at 141 W. 44th St., New York, NY History The theater was built by architects J.B. McElfatrick, Israels & Harder in 1912. The theater was built by theraticral producer Henry B. in May. Tony Award-winning choreographer Scott Wise Scott Wise is a Tony Award-winning performer, director and choreographer. Wise won his Tony Award in 1989 in the category of Best Featured Actor in a Musical for his performance in the dance revue Jerome Robbins' Broadway. created ingenious numbers that showed the versatility and spirit of Broadway gypsies. The Best Male Dancer award went to 42nd Street's Michael Arnold, who was up against Andre De Shields (The Full Monty) and David Elder (42nd Street). Kate Levering, also of 42nd Street, got Best Female Dancer over Carole Bentley (Follies) and Cady Huffman (The Producers). Susan Stroman was named Best Choreographer for her work on The Producers over Jerry Mitchell of The Full Monty and Randy Skinner of 42nd Street. The selection committee included Dance Magazine veterans Richard Philp, Clive Barnes, and Don McDonagh. This year's high point was Natalia Makarova's presentation of the Lifetime Achievement Award to Donald Saddler, choreographer for more than twenty Broadway shows (including Wonderful Town and No, No Nanette, for which he won Tonys), three films, and countless television specials. He was also a founding member of Ballet Theatre (later American Ballet Theatre American Ballet Theatre, one of the foremost international dance companies of the 20th cent. It was founded in 1937 as the Mordkin Ballet and reorganized as the Ballet Theatre in 1940 under the direction of Lucia Chase and Rich Pleasant. ) and has appeared in musicals. At the age of 81, he is now dancing eight shows a week in Follies. Makarova, in her thick Russian accent, told the gathering how Saddler coaxed her into On Your Toes. "It was unimaginable to speak onstage, especially in English--even now," said the former prima ballerina. At the audition, she panicked and ran into the street, with Saddler chasing her to drag her back. "I got the part," she said. "Not because of my speaking ability, but because of ... my legs." |
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