Tamara Ober, Zenon Dance Company lead 2012 Minnesota SAGE Awards for Dance nominees

On September 27, the Cowles Center for Dance and the Performing Arts announced the nominees for the eighth annual Minnesota SAGE Awards for Dance. Leading the pack were Zenon Dance Company, whose productions (including the acclaimed Storm) garnered four nominations; and Zenon dancer Tamara Ober, whose Minnesota Fringe Festival hit Sin Eater earned three nods, including nominations for Outstanding Performance and Outstanding Performer. Also noteworthy was the honoring of Uri Sands with two separate nominations in the Outstanding Performance category.

The SAGE Awards were named for Sage Cowles, a longtime supporter of the local dance community. This year's award ceremony, hosted by Cassandra Shore, will be held at the Cowles Center on October 17. Alanna Morris, Ananya Dance Theatre, and Chris Yon and Taryn Griggs will perform dances at the ceremony. A unique feature of the SAGE Awards is that the physical awards are newly-designed each year by a different local artist. This year's awards are being designed by Keith Holmes.

Complete list of 2012 Minnesota SAGE Awards nominees

Outstanding Performance

Uri Sands, A Subconscious Plastic Nowhere 
Shapiro & Smith Dance, Celebrating Our 25th Year
Uri Sands, January: Part I and II 
Tamara Ober, Sin Eater
Wynn Fricke, Wine Dark Sea 

Outstanding Performer

Katie Johnson, Point of Departure, Rumblings, Ancient Air, Nutcracker Fantasy
Andrew Lester, One, Family, Anytown
Eva Mohn, TU Fall and Spring concerts
Kari Mosel, Just One More: A Story of Affluenza, Silver, Anytown and We, the Others
Tamara Ober, Sin Eater

Outstanding Ensemble

Black Label Movement, Hit
Obtuse Crew, ROOTED: Hip Hop Choreographers’ Evening
TU Dance, Fall and Spring concerts
Zenon Dance Company, Wine Dark Sea, Storm

Outstanding Design

Peter O'Gorman: music for Wine Dark Sea
Mike Grogan: lighting for Storm, Blue Heaven, Motirô, Wine Dark Sea 
Tamara Ober: design for Sin Eater
Annie Katsura Rollins: set design for Tushaanal: Fires of Dry Grass
Marcus Dillard: lighting for Duet for Wreck, For She, Rumblings

Outstanding Dance Educator

Lirena Branitski    
Morris Johnson 
Julie Kerr-Berry 

Special Citation

Diane Aldis
Lirena Branitsky
Judith Howard
Zoe Sealy

Coverage of issues and events affecting Central Corridor communities is funded in part by a grant from the Central Corridor Funders Collaborative.

TCDP TOP PICK | 2012 Minnesota SAGE Awards for Dance

10/17/2012 - 7:30pm

TCDP TOP PICK: There's a coziness to the annual Minnesota SAGE Awards for Dance ceremony—large and diverse as our local dance scene is, it's not so large that everybody doesn't basically know everybody else. This year's nominees include some familiar names (Tamara Ober, Katie Johnson) and some not-so-familiar. Grab a seat at the Cowles Center on October 17 to see who will be welcomed to the family of SAGE Award Winners. - Jay Gabler

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