‘Dance Honors’ Limps Through Its 1st Show : Dance: New National Academy of Dance changes honorees in midstream, leaving out those who didn’t make it to the San Diego Convention Center.

The big question surrounding the “America’s Dance Honors” ceremony Friday night at the San Diego Convention Center was not who would win or lose, but who would show up to claim the trophies. After all, the names of some of the top winners had been released in advance, and some of the leading contenders in concert dance had pulled out of the competition after their nominations were announced.

In fact, two major stars of dance were eliminated from the program--and, presumably, from the awards. Michael Jackson (who had been listed as Dancer of the Decade on a press release dated the same day as the show), and Gene Kelly (named as a Hall of Famer) were among those cut from the ceremony. (The show’s producer, Greg Willenborg, had earlier said one criterion for winning an award was a willingness to attend the ceremony.)

One previously named awardee who did show up, Choreographer of the Year Paula Abdul, also waltzed away with two other awards during the evening.

She was honored for her work as choreographer for “The Tracy Ullman Show” in the best dance series on television category, and again for best dance in a music video (for “Cold Hearted”). That made the pixy-sized dance maker the only multiple winner of the evening.

As its producer promised, the National Academy of Dance (the newly formed organization responsible for this made-for-television awards ceremony) delivered a bevy of stars for the network special.

They included Shirley MacLaine, Sammy Davis, Jr., Liza Minelli, Ann-Margret, Julie Brown, Cyd Charisse, Chita Rivera, George Chakiris, Ann Miller, Patrick Swayze, Chita Rivera, Tommy Tune, and the tap-dancing Nicholas Brothers.

MacLaine kicked off the presentations by offering top dance movie honors to “Dirty Dancing.” Choreographer Kenny Ortega and his star (Swayze) were both at the convention center for the occasion.

“It’s a dream come true,” Swayze said. “I can’t believe there’s finally an award for the world’s oldest art form.”

However, personalities from the concert dance world were conspicuously absent, as the two dance troupes honored failed to send anyone to accept their trophies (dubbed “Gypsies,” after the nomadic dancers who move from one Broadway show to another).

In fact, the New York-based Dance Theatre of Harlem--the preannounced winner of the best classical dance company award--was ensconced a few blocks away at the Omni Hotel at the time of the taping (the dancers were in town to rehearse for upcoming Pasadena performances, in the wake of canceled concert dates in San Diego). Still, no one from the troupe showed up to accept the tribute.

Three other contenders in the classical category (New York City Ballet, San Francisco Ballet, and American Ballet Theatre) had already officially withdrawn from the competition when their nominations were announced.

Perhaps they agree with the philosophy expressed by Dance Theatre of Harlem spokeswoman Joanne Lawrence, who said in an interview earlier Friday: “We don’t feel we should be in competition with other classical companies.”

Nevertheless, Charisse (who made the presentation) accepted the award for the Harlem troupe herself, saying: “We salute you and thank you so much.”

Similarly, there was no representation from the late Alvin Ailey’s American Dance Theatre when that New York company was honored in modern dance. Lester Wilson (who choreographed the production numbers in Friday’s awards show) noted: “It’s a privilege and a burden to present the award for outstanding modern dance company to the company that just lost its namesake.”

Former First Lady Betty Ford (a one-time student of Martha Graham) made an appearance to induct her mentor and friend into the organization’s Hall of Fame.

Minelli did the same for her friend and idol, Sammy Davis Jr., and the man known simply as Sammy was a grateful winner.

“I am a hoofer,” he proclaimed, his voice still frail from a recent bout with cancer. “I’m happy to be in a business that allows me to have such love bestowed upon me.”

Other winners were “Disney/MGM Studios Theme Park Opening” (best dance television special honors) and Broadway’s Tommy Tune (best dance in a Broadway show--”Grand Hotel”).

The highlight of the evening had nothing to do with winners. It was the presence of a pair of veteran hoofers--the team of Harold and Fayard Nicholas--widely known in the golden days of movie musicals as the Nicholas Brothers.

The pair of old smoothies took command of the stage in a showstopping duet juxtaposed with footage from their performance in the 1935 movie “Sun Valley Serenade.” It soon had the audience on its feet as well.

Rivera’s comic ode to dancers, “Why Don’t They Mention the Pain?” was another high point in an evening that had more show-biz flash than substance.

The awards show gave 10 dancers from San Diego’s California Ballet a chance to hobnob with the stars. Denise Dabrowski--decked out in pink tutus--opened the show, and the others took part in the big production number that closed it.

Controversy plagued the Dance Awards Honors from the time it was proposed last fall as the centerpiece of a gala fund-raiser for five downtown arts organizations (the Gaslamp Quarter Theater, the Bowery Theatre, the San Diego Repertory Theatre, Sushi Performance Gallery, and the San Diego Foundation for the Performing Arts.)

There were questions about the qualifications of the newly formed academy, and strong doubts about the validity of pitting diverse dance companies against each other and mixing artistic efforts into the same pot as commercial enterprises.

Was this awards show to be a serious tribute to the unsung heroes of the dance world, or just another excuse for some show-biz razzle-dazzle?

Friday’s show took a few shaky steps in the right direction, but the fears seemed justified. (Dance Magazine, the leading publication of the discipline, declined to cover the event.) If the producers intend to make this an annual event, such as the Emmy and Grammy telecasts (which they insist they do), the organization will have to find a workable format, and persuade the concert dance community of its integrity.

The show (edited to an hour) is slated to air on ABC-TV at 9 p.m. July 5.