Their best foot forward

More than any other Southland dance maker, contemporary choreographer Victoria Marks dominated the 12th annual Lester Horton Dance Awards, presented Sunday at the Japan America Theatre.

Premiered last June during the City of Los Angeles series at the Los Angeles Theatre Center, Marks’ dramatic trio “Against Ending” won Horton awards in four categories, including long-form choreography and small-ensemble performance.

Times reviewer Victoria Looseleaf described the 22-minute work as informed by the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11, 2001, but “more a rant against endings for which one is unprepared -- the notion of being clobbered by the unfathomable.” Maria Gillespie’s dancing in the work was also recognized Sunday, taking the award for female performance, as was Carol McDowell’s lighting design.

Named after a locally based pioneer of modern dance, the Horton Awards honor excellence in the Southern California dance community and are voted by the membership, and in some cases the board, of the Dance Resource Center, a service organization.

The fast-moving Sunday event differed from past Horton ceremonies in that winners of the awards for excellence in teaching and lifetime achievement had been announced in advance and samples of their choreography added live dancing to the usual parade of video clips and speeches.

In her acceptance speech, excellence-in-teaching winner Karen McDonald spoke eloquently of the professional recognition that the Hortons bring (“This award is freedom,” she said). But the performance of her celebratory “Illuminations” suite (with music by Miles Davis) looked generally under-rehearsed and anything but free technically.

Lifetime achievement winner Don Martin explained how his early work as a dancer with Lester Horton (who died in 1953) inspired his career. His somber “Odes and Homages” (music by Chopin) featured dancing of impressive security from the six-member cast, and even a few performances worthy of Horton nominations, such as the powerful and sensitive one by Leo Gallo.

In previous years, the Hortons divided nominees into Western and non-Western categories, but these distinctions were abolished this year, reportedly at the urging of the local world-dance community. However, that innovation left that community out in the cold -- none of the nominated world-dance companies won -- so another round of rethinking may be in order.

In contrast to the politicized speechmaking a year ago, the major trend of this Horton event seemed to be the affirmation of marriage: Winner after winner on Sunday paid tribute to a supportive spouse. Otherwise, the types of work that won recognition confirmed the creative diversity that the Lester Horton Dance Awards were intended to honor.

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The Horton winners, by category

Outstanding Achievement in Choreography -- Short Form, Lisa K. Lock, “pending,” Madrid Theater, October 2002

Outstanding Achievement in Music for Dance

Robin Cox, “Move/Let Us Listen,” Loretta Livingston and Dancers, Mark Taper Auditorium, August 2002

Outstanding Achievement in Costume Design, Denise Lichter, “Original Sin,” Regina Klenjoski Dance Company, James Armstrong Theater, March 2002

Outstanding Achievement in Set Design (a tie), Marco De Leon, “The Bible Wall,” Mizeranydance!, Whitmore-Lindley Theater Center, May 2002; Jeff Cain and Ann Kaneko, “High Fall,” Nesting Dolls, Highways Performance Space, December 2002

Outstanding Production of a Festival or Series, Spectrum Dance in LA series, Deborah Brockus and Daisy Kim (producers), Ivar Theater, four times per year

Outstanding Achievement in Lighting Design, Carol McDowell, “Against Ending,” Victoria Marks (choreographer), Los Angeles Theatre Center, June 2002

Outstanding Achievement in Performance -- Female Category, Maria Gillespie, “Against Ending,” Victoria Marks (choreographer), Los Angeles Theatre Center, June 2002

Outstanding Achievement in Performance -- Male Category, Patrick Damon Rago, “Native Son,” Joe Goode (choreographer), Spectrum Dance in LA series, Ivar Theater, November 2002

Outstanding Achievement in Performance -- Small Ensemble (duets/trios/quartets), Maria Gillespie, Stephanie Nugent and Karen Schupp, “Against Ending,” Victoria Marks (choreographer), Los Angeles Theatre Center, June 2002

Revival, Reconstruction, Restaging (a tie), Kathryn Cassis, “Isadora Dances,” Marion Scott’s “Spirit Dances 6: Inspired by Isadora,” Highways Performance Space, June 2002; Anna Djanbazian, “Memento: (An Uzbek Dance),” Sarkis Djanbazian (choreographer), Djanbazian Dance Company, Alex Theater, September 2002

Outstanding Achievement in Choreography -- Long Form, Victoria Marks with Maria Gillespie, Stephanie Nugent and Karen Schupp, “Against Ending,” Los Angeles Theatre Center, June 2002

Outstanding Achievement in Performance -- Company, Collage Dance Theatre, “Cover Story,” Heidi Duckler (artistic director), Herald-Examiner building, May 2002

Lifetime Achievement, Don Martin

Excellence in Teaching, Karen McDonald