Edward Villella Honored at the 9th Annual Los Angeles Dance Invitational

Lindsay Live | Sep 15, 2008 | 0

Edward Villella, 1960, in the title role of The Prodigal Son, by the choreographer George Balanchine.

On Saturday, September 13, the word renowned Edward Villella was honored with a Lifetime Achievement Award at the 9th Annual Los Angeles Dance Invitational held at the Nate Holden Performing Arts Center. Since its inception in 1999 as a fund-raising event for at-risk gay and lesbian youth in Los Angeles, LADI has honored distinguished teachers, choreographers, and other key leaders in the field of dance.

Information about Edward Villella from the LADI website:

Edward Villella is America's most celebrated male dancer.

For almost 20 years he danced with the New York City Ballet.

In the 1950s and 60s, the Royal Ballet and the New York City Ballet began a long affiliation.

That was how he met Stanley Holden, who danced with the Royal Ballet for 25 years. They remained friends for over 40 years.

When our friend and mentor Stanley Holden passed away last year, Mr. Villella recorded a video tribute to his friend that was featured in LADI 8, A Tribute to Stanley Holden.

This year, Mr. Villella has graciously agreed to personally accept the LADI Award for Distinguished Lifetime Achievement.

And to present the Holden Award on behalf of his late friend.

We are honored and privileged to welcome this American legend to our stage.

Many others were honored at the LADI awards, including Terri Best, teacher and  mentor from EDGE Performing Arts Center, who received the Holden Award for Distinguished Teaching.

The rest of the lineup at the 9th Annual LADI was:

Genevieve Carson, modern
Marie de la Palme, contemporary ballet
JT Horenstein, tap
Kim Eung Hwa, Korean
Malathi Iyengar, Indian
Linda Lack, modern
Christopher Liu, modern
Jose Reynoso and Jia Wu, modern

For more information about the Los Angeles Dance Invitational, visit their website at www.ladancerinvitational.org.

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Ballet, Jazz, Hip Hop, Tap, Modern, Broadway, Ballroom, Teacher, Enthusiast, Parent, Retailer, Studio, Competitions & Conventions, Performance, Summer Study, EDGE Performing Arts Center, Edward Villella, Los Angeles, Terri Best (all tags)