My First Time at the Chita Rivera Awards

“I could have danced all night” — and I sort of did at Monday’s Chita Rivera Awards.

The Chita Rivera Awards celebrate the stage and screen’s often-overlooked dancers and choreographers. Rivera’s spirit could be felt through the New York University Skirball Center auditorium through the entire night, but especially as performers and presenters took the stage to honor her close friend and legendary dancer Ben Vereen with the Lifetime Achievement award.

The awards, hosted by original Hairspray cast members Kerry Butler, Marissa Jaret Winkour, and Laura Bell Bundy, recognized many of this season’s on and off-Broadway shows. Cats was recognized for excellence in off-broadway choreography, and Buena Vista Social Club for both Outstanding Broadway Choreography and Outstanding Broadway Ensemble. Robyn Hurder (Smash) and Kevin Csolak (Gypsy) were both recognized for the Outstanding Broadway Dancer award.

It’s probably important to say that I’m not a dancer — that much became apparent when I tried to take up jazz for a few years in high school. But I’ve always been obsessed with dance. I could stay up all night watching videos from Steps On Broadway’s Instagram page or old Pippin archives on YouTube. For years, I’ve wanted to attend the Chita Rivera’s and see my favorite dancers get the flowers they deserve.

The night doubles as a fundraiser for the New York City Dance Alliance Foundation Scholarship Program. The program supports aspiring dancers through college, providing them with merit scholarships and mentorship opportunities. From rising star performers like Jasmine Amy Rodgers of Boop! on stage to hearing from recent scholarship recipients on how the program changed their life, there was an incredibly youthful spirit about the night. It is not lost on the legends themselves that we need young people in our theatres and art spaces.  

The show kicked off with two numbers honoring Vereen’s iconic performances, including “Magic to Do” from Pippin and “Bye, Bye, Blackbird” from Liza with a “Z.” Hearing the iconic Pippin opening set a chill and rapturous applause through the audience of stars and dance enthusiasts.

Shoshana Bean got emotional on stage as she talked about her relationship to Vereen, whom she met working on Wicked. She called him her cheerleader and a father figure to her, and choked back tears as she sang an acoustic “For Good.”

Everyone who spoke of Vereen, from Bob Fosse and Gwen Verdon’s daughter and grandson to Vereen’s godson and pop-sensation Usher, highlighted not only his impact on the industry but Vereen’s incredible spirit.

“Your artistry has changed the world, but your heart has changed me,” Usher said before welcoming Vereen to the stage.

When Vereen took the stage, he found himself at a loss for words — something that “never happens to him.” He quickly found them, though, and delivered a powerful address about the importance of the arts in our society.

“The arts are on the chopping block, but not on my watch,” Vereen said.

In his speech, Vereen said it never dawned upon him that he was opening doors for fellow Black performers. It wasn’t him, but the spirit inside him that compelled him to break through barriers and build such a successful career. He encouraged the audience to continue using that same spirit within them to raise their voices and protect the arts.  

The night concluded with a performance from The Dance Ground, a youth dance group from Bucks County, Pennsylvania, who raised over $35,000 for the NYCDA this year. Seeing them dance their hearts out to “Another Day of Sun” from La La Land in colorful yellow dresses gave a glimpse at the future of the dance world — and reminded me of one of the most powerful lines in Vereen’s address.

“We need our youth to make a better world,” Vereen said. “The arts are our civilization.”