Meet the 2018 Chita Rivera Award Nominees

The nominees for this year's Chita Rivera Awards met the press at Bond 45 to celebrate their honors. The winners will be announced on May 20 at the NYU Skirball Center for the Performing Arts.

The mission of the Chita Rivera Awards is to celebrate dance and choreographic excellence, preserve notable dance history, and recognize past, present, and future talents while promoting high standards in dance education and investing in the next generation.

At this year's Chita Rivera Awards, actor, dancer, and choreographer Carmen De Lavallade will receive the second annual Lifetime Achievement Award, iconic composer John Kander will receive the Outstanding Contribution to Musical Theater as a Composer, and legendary theater director and producer Harold Prince will be presented with the SDC Director Award for Exemplary Collaboration with Choreographers.

The awards are produced by Nikki Feirt Atkins (founder and producing artistic director of American Dance Machine of the 21st Century) and Joe Lanteri (founder and executive director of the New York City Dance Alliance Foundation), with Patricia Watt and Iris Smith.