Master of the ballet

Andrei Tremaine is perpetuating a family legacy started by his mother, a member of the world-renown Ballet Russe.

For that lifetime dedication, Tremaine, a ballet master and dance coach for the Burbank-based Media City Ballet, will receive the Lifetime Achievement Award May 6 during the 16th annual Lester Horton Dance Awards at the Alex Theatre.

He is one of four dance professionals being honored during the event. The four were chosen by the Lester Horton Awards Committee, producer Jamie Nichols said. Nominees for these special honors come from members of the Los Angeles dance community.

Tremaine, 80, spent the early part of his life in various parts of Europe with his mother, Elena Wortova, who was a soloist with the original Ballet Russe. Later, he was a leading dancer with the renowned Ballet Russe de Monte Carlo.

He now works with his daughter, Burbank’s Media City Ballet Artistic Director Natasha Middleton.

Tremaine is being honored for his many years of dedication to the art of dance, including his career with the Ballet Russe de Monte Carlo, his participation in television and film and his 30 years as artistic director of his school and dance company, Pacific Ballet Theatre, Nichols said.

“Tremaine’s many years of teaching touched many dancers who have gone on to achieve esteemed professional careers,” she said. “And he’s a really lovely person.”

The dance veteran is pleased to be receiving the recognition.

“This is a beautiful tribute,” he said. “It’s a very meaningful, very coveted award, the Lester Horton Award, and I’m pleased to be involved.”

Tremaine is working with two dancers who will perform “The Red Poppy” during the awards event. It’s an older Soviet ballet, he said, and relates the story of a Russian sea captain who meets a Chinese tavern dancer while in port. In addition to four special awards and 12 Lester Horton Awards, this year 24 dance companies will be honored for thriving for 25 years or more in the Los Angeles area, Nichols said.

The Horton Awards are presented by The Dance Resource Center of Los Angeles, which provides to its members access to information, resources and services while promoting the visibility of Greater Los Angeles dance on local, state, and national levels.

The awards honoring excellence in concert dance are named after modern dance pioneer Lester Horton, who built his international reputation in Los Angeles.

This is the first time the Horton Awards will be produced at the Alex Theatre, Nichols said. Among the reasons, she said, is because it’s a historical landmark and because of the professional quality of the venue.

“The Alex has an excellent stage and tech crew and the theater supports dance,” she added.

Since the Alex became a performing arts center, it has been home to a wide variety of national, regional and international dance performance groups, Executive Director Barry McComb said.

“We are honored that the prestigious Dance Resource Center recognizes the Alex as a premier venue for dance and has made us their home for the 16th annual Lester Horton Awards,” he said.

There will also be performances by dance companies, she said.

The Colburn Dance Institute in downtown Los Angeles is performing for the awards event for the first time. And another first is adding break dancing to the performances, with the group, Lux Aeterna with Kujo, featuring Jacob “Kujo” Lyons, of Burbank, she said.

“My style is a powerful form of ballet or graceful form of break dancing,” Lyons said. “It’s definitely a form of hybrid.”