Nominations for the 2026 Chita Rivera Awards were announced today. In keeping with the mission of the Chita Rivera Awards, nominators considered shows and films that opened during the 2025-2026 season.
2026 CHITA RIVERA AWARD NOMINATIONS
BROADWAY
OUTSTANDING CHOREOGRAPHY IN A BROADWAY SHOW
Christopher Gattelli, Schmigadoon!
Lorin Latarro, Chess
Ellenore Scott, Ragtime
Ellenore Scott, Titaníque
Ani Taj, The Rocky Horror Show
Omari Wiles /Arturo Lyons, CATS: The Jellicle Ball
OUTSTANDING DANCER IN A BROADWAY SHOW
Jonathan Burke, CATS: The Jellicle Ball
Baby Byrne, CATS: The Jellicle Ball
Max Clayton, Schmigadoon!
Zachary Downer, Schmigadoon!
Sydney James Harcourt, CATS: The Jellicle Ball
Dava Huesca, CATS: The Jellicle Ball
Robert “Silk” Mason, CATS: The Jellicle Ball
Isabelle McCalla, Schmigadoon!
Sarah Meahl, Chess
Constantine Rousouli, Titaníque
Layton Williams, Titaníque
Lyrica Woodruff, Schmigadoon!
OUTSTANDING ENSEMBLE IN A BROADWAY SHOW
CATS: The Jellicle Ball
Chess
Ragtime
Schmigadoon!
The Rocky Horror Show
Titaníque
FILM & DOCUMENTARY
OUTSTANDING CHOREOGRAPHY IN A FEATURE FILM
Kiss of The Spider Woman, Choreographers: Sergio Trujillo/Christopher Scott
Michael, Choreographers: Anthony Talauega/Richmond Talauega
Sinners, Choreographer: Aakomon Jones
The Testament of Ann Lee, Choreographer: Celia Rowlson-Hall
Wicked, For Good, Choreographer: Christopher Scott
OUTSTANDING DIRECTION OF A DANCE DOCUMENTARY
Dick Van Dyke, 100th Celebration, Director: Steve Boettcher
Martha Graham Dance Company: We Are Our Time, (Part I, “American Spirit”, Part II, “Athletes of God”, Directors: Peter Schnall/Cyndee Readdean
Playing The Palace, Director: Cody Williams
Strange Journey: The Story of Rocky Horror, Director: Linus O’Brien
Tango My Passion, Director: Dr. Monika Krajewska
The 2026 Chita Rivera Awards will be presented on May 18 at 7:30PM at the NYU Skirball Center (566 LaGuardia Place off Washington Square Park), and produced by Joe Lanteri, Founder and Executive Director of the New York City Dance Alliance Foundation, in conjunction with Patricia Watt.
This year, the Chita Rivera Awards will be honoring stage and screen icon Ann-Margret with the Lifetime Achievement Award.
Also announced today is the hit off-Broadway show Gotta Dance! is this year’s recipient of The Douglas and Ethel Watt Critics’ Choice Award. This Award is bestowed by the journalists of the Chita Rivera Awards Broadway judging committee, to recognize outstanding work that falls outside the framework of the original categories. It is named for the longtime Daily News theater critic Douglas Watt and his wife Ethel. Gotta Dance! is currently running at Stage 42.
Tickets to the Chita Rivera Awards are available to the general public at:www.ChitaRiveraAwards.com.
The mission of the Chita Rivera Awards is to celebrate dance and choreographic excellence, preserve notable dance history, recognize past, present, and future talents, while promoting high standards in dance education and investing in the next generation.
Nominators considered outstanding choreography, featured dancers, and ensemble in shows on Broadway and Off Broadway, as well as outstanding choreography in film, that opened in the 2025-2026 season. Nominations for the productions under consideration this season will be determined by the designated nominating committee.
The Outstanding Dancer in a Broadway Show category continues to be gender-free and this category will have twice as many nominees as the former gendered categories. There will be two winners.
The NYC Dance Alliance Foundation Scholarship Program and The Chita Rivera Training Grant are the beneficiaries of the event. Since the inception of the Foundation, over $5.4 million has been awarded to over 600 dancers attending 50 of the most prestigious college dance programs in the country.
The Chita Rivera Training Grant will consist of financial support plus one year of dance classes at Steps on Broadway in New York City.
The NYCDA Foundation is an IRS approved 501(c)(3) committed to broadening performing arts awareness while advocating education and high standards of excellence in dance.
This year, all funding and proceeds will support the creation of a new Chita Rivera Training Scholarship.
Awarding Committee: Chair: Sylviane Gold, Gary Chryst, Peter Filichia, Robert LaFosse, Wendy Perron, Stephanie Pope, and Lee Roy Reams.
Broadway Nominating Committee
Caitlin Carter, Gary Chryst, Don Correia, Sandy Duncan, Peter Filichia, Dr. Louis Galli, Sylviane Gold, Jonathan Herzog, Robert La Fosse, Joe Lanteri, Michael Milton, Mary Beth O’Connor, Wendy Perron, Stephanie Pope, Lee Roy Reams, Andy Sandberg, and Randy Skinner
Film Nominating Committee
Chair: Jonathan C. Herzog, Steven Caras, Wilhelmina Frankfurt, Mary Beth O’Connor, and Andy Sandberg
Tickets for the Chita Rivera Awards are currently on sale and can be purchased at www.ChitaRiveraAwards.com. Ticket prices are as follows: $125 for a balcony ticket to the Awards ceremony, $750 for an orchestra ticket to the Awards ceremony and admission to the pre-show red carpet cocktail party and VIP reception, and $7500 for 10 Orchestra tickets to the Awards ceremony, admission for 10 to the pre-show red carpet cocktail party & 1 table at the VIP reception.
The NYC Dance Alliance Foundation, Inc. (NYCDAF), founded in 2010 by Executive Director Joe Lanteri, is committed to broadening performing arts awareness while advocating education and high standards of excellence in dance. The Foundation invests in the next generation of professional performers by offering scholarships for secondary and college education. To date, over 600 talented teenagers have shared in nearly $5.4 million awarded directly through NYCDAF. Those recipients are represented in 50 of the most prestigious university arts programs in the country. Many have since graduated and are now represented on Broadway, as well as concert dance companies based in NYC and around the world. www.NYCDAFoundation.net
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‘ Some details of this article were extracted from the following source t2conline.com ’
