2 Companies Ask to Be Kept Out of Dance Awards

Two of the ballet companies nominated in the fledgling “America’s Dance Awards” will ask for their names to be removed from the event, scheduled to be videotaped at the gala opening of the San Diego Convention Center on Jan. 19.

The San Francisco Ballet and New York City Ballet said they will ask organizers of the awards to withdraw their nominations for “Best Classical Dance Company,” citing unease with the competitive aspect of the awards and unfamiliarity with the organizers.

The awards are a production of the National Academy of Dance, a newly formed organization based in Palm Desert and headed by television producer Gregory Willenborg. At a press conference announcing the nominees Monday, Willenborg said the academy was formed specifically to produce the awards, which will be broadcast on ABC in the spring.

David Gray, a press representative for the New York City Ballet, issued this statement from the company’s executive director, William Wingate:

“A competition between artists and arts organizations is inappropriate. Because we know so little about the organization that’s sponsoring this event, we’ve decided to stay with our policy of not participating in a competition of this nature.”

W. McNeil Lowry, president of the San Francisco Ballet Assn., sent a letter to the producers, which reads in part: “The San Francisco Ballet Association has no background information about your program. . . . Under the circumstances, we would be pleased if you would eliminate our name from your Jan. 19 ceremony.”

Willenborg said Wednesday that he had not received any notification or message of dissatisfaction from the two companies.

“All we’ve received about this project are words of enthusiasm and the response has been overwhelmingly positive,” Willenborg said. “As in any awards ceremony, there’s an element of competition which some people like and some people do not.

“We’re trying to create an awareness for dance, an appreciation for dance and to provide scholarships for dancers. I can’t imagine how any company or anybody who’s a dancer would not agree with those goals.

“While some companies may be bothered by the commerciality of (the awards), the fact is they survive through commercial corporations. We’re not making money on this. We’re trying to get an awareness of dance out there.”

The only notification the dance companies received was a letter in which Willenborg informed them of the nominations and invited them to the ceremonies.

“You will be joining many performers, enthusiasts and patrons of the Dance, who will celebrate the first, foremost and only awards gala designed for this art form,” Willenborg wrote.

“The National Academy of Dance, the American Broadcasting Company, and our sponsor, American Express, are honored to present this prestigious first annual award program, which includes the provision of scholarships for economically disadvantaged students in the performing arts.”

The letter was written on academy stationery, featuring a list of honorary committee members that includes prominent show business personalities such as Bob Hope, Shirley MacLaine and Madonna.

Willenborg, who is president of his own television production company with offices in Los Angeles and Palm Desert, has been involved in a number of entertainment programs on networks, including tributes to Hope, Elizabeth Taylor and Oprah Winfrey.

The awards will include the presentation of “Dance Hall of Fame” awards to Mikhail Baryshnikov, Martha Graham and Gene Kelly by former First Lady Betty Ford, who is a former Martha Graham dancer and a member of the academy’s honorary committee. Plans call for Sammy Davis Jr. to present the “Dancer of the Decade” award to Michael Jackson and for Paula Abdul to receive the “Choreographer of the Year” award.

Baryshnikov and Davis have confirmed their participation, but Jackson and other celebrities have not.

Honors will also be presented in seven categories: best dance in a music video, best modern dance company, best dance in a television series, best dance in a television special, best dance in a movie, best dance in a Broadway show and best classical dance company.

Willenborg said the awards, called Gypsys, will be given only if the honorees agree to attend.

Proceeds from the gala, with tickets priced from $35 to $5,000, will benefit five local arts organizations: the Gaslamp Quarter Theatre Company, Sushi Gallery, the Bowery Theatre, San Diego Repertory Theatre and the San Diego Foundation for the Performing Arts. Also, a scholarship fund will be established to benefit high school students who are pursuing careers in the performing arts and who are proficient in dance.