Kick Up Your Heels! Nominations Are Announced for the 2018 Chita Rivera Awards

Put on your dancing shoes! Nominations have been announced for the 2018 Chita Rivera Awards, honoring the best in dance during the 2017-2018 theater and film seasons. Nominees include the companies of Once On This Island, SpongeBob SquarePants, Mean Girls, Carousel and Summer: The Donna Summer Musical. Also of note are film nominees including Todd Underwood, choreographer of Hello Again; Basmati Blues cast member Tyne Daly, nominated with that film's choreographers; and Hugh Jackman, honored alongside the dance makers of The Greatest Showman.

As previously announced, the 2018 Chita Rivera Awards will also honor actress, dancer and choreographer Carmen De Lavallade with the second annual Lifetime Achievement Award; iconic composer John Kander will receive the Outstanding Contribution to Musical Theater Award; and legendary theater director and producer Harold Prince will be presented with the SDC Director Award for Exemplary Collaboration with Choreographers. The 2018 Chita Rivera Awards will be presented on May 20 at 7:30pm at the NYU Skirball Center for the Performing Arts.

Find the full list of 2018 Chita Rivera Award nominees below.

THEATER AWARDS
Outstanding Choreography in a Broadway Show
Camille A. Brown, Once On This Island
Christopher Gattelli, SpongeBob SquarePants
Casey Nicholaw, Mean Girls
Justin Peck, Carousel
Sergio Trujillo, Summer: The Donna Summer Musical

Outstanding Ensemble in a Broadway Show
Carousel
Mean Girls
Once On This Island
SpongeBob SquarePants
Summer: The Donna Summer Musical

Outstanding Male Dancer in a Broadway Show
Norbert Leo Butz, My Fair Lady
Andrei Chagas, Carousel
Gavin Lee, SpongeBob SquarePants
Amar Ramasar, Carousel
Tony Yazbeck, Prince of Broadway

Outstanding Female Dancer in a Broadway Show
Yesenia Ayala, Carousel
Ariana DeBose, Summer: The Donna Summer Musical
Hailey Kilgore, Once On This Island
Katrina Lenk, The Band's Visit
Skye Mattox, Carousel
Ashley Park, Mean Girls
Brittany Pollack, Carousel

Outstanding Choreography in an Off-Broadway Show
Nejla Yatkin, The Boy Who Danced on Air
Sonya Tayeh, Hundred Days
Zach Morris & Jennine Willet, Ghost Light
Chris Bailey, Jerry Springer: The Opera
Monica Bill Barnes, One Night Only

Outstanding Female Dancer in an Off-Broadway Show
Anna Bass, One Night Only
Monica Bill Barnes, One Night Only
Elizabeth Carena, Ghost Light
Tiffany Mann, Jerry Springer: The Opera
Kenita R. Miller, Bella

Outstanding Male Dancer in an Off-Broadway Show
Colin Campbell, Disco Pigs
Robert Fairchild, Frankenstein
Troy Iwata, The Boy Who Danced on Air
Evan Ruggiero, Bastard Jones
Nikhil Saboo, The Boy Who Danced on Air

FILM AWARDS
Theatrical Release
Basmati Blues—stars Brie Larson, Donald Sutherland and Tyne Daly; choreographers Noemie LaFrance, Rajeev, Dimple Ganguly, Vijay Ganguly and Ryan Heffington
Finding Your Feet—stars Imelda Staunton, Timothy Spall and Joanna Lumley; choreographer Mark Jennings
Hello Again—choreographer Todd Underwood
Polina, danser sa vie—star Juliette Binoche; choreographer Angelin Preljocaj
The Greatest Showman—star Hugh Jackman; choreographers Shannon Holtzapffel and Ashley Wallen

Documentaries
Step—directed by Amanda Lipitz
Bobbi Jene—directed by Elvira Lind
Anatomy of a Male Ballet Dancer—directed by David Barba and James Pellerito