Award honors promising choreographers on the cusp of their careers
LOUISVILLE, KY – Louisville Ballet announces the launch of the Dysart Award, an annual award established in 2021 to identify and support promising choreographers on the cusp of their professional careers, nominated and selected by a panel of internationally-recognized dance leaders. The Dysart Award seeks to highlight artists who have a vision for their vocabulary, a clear commitment to their practice, and who are ready to be propelled into the next phase of their careers. Through the international panel of nominators and the intensive nomination process, this award also seeks to diversify the field of dance, to exponentially multiply exposure and opportunities for choreographers on the global stage, and to bring the best of the future of dance to the Louisville community.
The 2021/2022 inaugural Dysart Award honoree is Anne Jung, currently an artist with the Dresden Frankfurt Dance Company.
Originally from Groß-Umstadt, Germany, Anne Jung first trained as a rhythmic gymnast, competing in the European Championship, World Championship, and the Olympics. As a dancer, she trained at the Hochschule für Musik und Tanz in Cologne. In 2009, she received a scholarship from Kunststiftung NRW and joined Ballettmainz under the artistic direction of Pascal Touzeau. She performed the works of Jacopo Godani, Georg Reischl, and Didy Veldman.
In 2014, Jung joined Nederlands Dans Theater I, where she danced the works by Marco Goecke, Paul Lightfoot, Sol León, Jiří Kylián, Medhi Walerski, Mats Ek, and Franck Chartier. Since 2017, she has been a member of the Dresden Frankfurt Dance Company under the artistic direction of Jacopo Godani, performing his works alongside the works of William Forsythe and Marco Goecke. In 2016, she began choreographing with “onewithtwo” for NDT’s switch. Then, she created “twowiththree “and “threewithfour” for the Dresden Frankfurt Dance Company.
“Louisville Ballet is thrilled to launch the Dysart Award, giving well-deserved recognition to the next generation of inspiring, world-class choreographers,” said Robert Curran, Louisville Ballet Artistic Director and Dysart Award Co-Director. “Even from our initial discussions, Anne was clearly a strong candidate. Her artistic integrity, the breadth and depth of her dance career to date, and commitment to her craft clearly combine to show her incredible promise as a rising choreographer.”
Dysart Award winners are selected from a shortlist of choreographers compiled and shared by each member of the nominating panel. There is no formal application process. The 2021/2022 Dysart Award nominating panel Co-Directors were Robert Curran, Louisville Ballet Artistic Director, and Rupert Tookey, former Nederlands Dans Theater Artistic Producer/Curator.
2021/2022 Dysart Award Nominating Panelists included: Katrin Hall, Artistic Director – GöteborgsOperans Danskompani; Virginia Johnson, Artistic Director – Dance Theatre of Harlem; Lourdes Lopez, Artistic Director – Miami City Ballet; Ingrid Lorentzen, Artistic Director – Norwegian National Ballet; Kevin O’Hare, Artistic Director – The Royal Ballet, Matthew Rushing, Associate Artistic Director – Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater; Debbie Turner, CEO – Cape Town City Ballet; Medhi Walerski, Artistic Director – Ballet BC; Wendy Whelan, Associate Artistic Director – New York City Ballet.
Each Dysart Award winner receives a $20,000 (USD) cash award, a $5,000 (USD) charitable gift to a dance education institution of their choice, and a commission to create a work that will be included as part of a Louisville Ballet season production.
Anna Jung’s new commissioned piece, “#fourwithsix,” will premiere as part of Louisville Ballet’s just-announced production, Program 4, opening February 17, 2022 at The Kentucky Center in Louisville, KY. A mixed-repertory production with an emphasis on collaboration, Program 4 also includes works by Robert Barry Fleming, Actors Theatre of Louisville’s Executive Artistic Director; Adam Hougland, Louisville Ballet Resident Choreographer; and Brandon Ragland, Louisville Ballet Company Artist. To find out more about Program 4, or purchase tickets for this production, visit the Louisville Ballet website at louisvilleballet.org.
ABOUT THE DYSART AWARD
Established in 2021 through the support of generous Louisville-based donors, the Dysart Award is named after Nancy Dysart, one of the founders of Louisville Ballet. As Louisville Ballet celebrates its 70th Anniversary Season, the Dysart Award honors the past of the artform while looking to its future. Dysart Award Co-Directors Robert Curran and Rupert Tookey share a commitment to securing the future of the artform and believe that this award is critical to elevating the work of a diverse group of dance makers dedicated to artistic innovation.
ABOUT LOUISVILLE BALLET
Louisville Ballet, led by Artistic Director Robert Curran, is an evolved, but accessible form of artistic expression that boldly and beautifully communicates stories both classic and new. We exist to move, to evoke emotion, to provoke thought, and to challenge perceptions. We are artists, athletes, and activists. We are inventors and inspirers. We have been one of the nation’s leading ballet companies since 1952. As the official State Ballet of Kentucky, we have hosted some of ballet’s biggest names including Mikhail Baryshnikov, Twyla Tharp, and Wendy Whelan, performed for tens of thousands of people, and reached over 20,000 school children throughout the Commonwealth with educational programs annually.