Sage Awards honor Twin Cities dance

Christine Maginnis, a fierce, fearless dancer and choreographer who performs in the Twin Cities and across the nation, has won a Sage Award as an outstanding performer in "Four Duets and One More," which played at the Minnesota Fringe Festival this summer.

The awards, named for the late philanthropist and dance patron Sage Cowles and given out at a ceremony Tuesday night, honor the work of movers, choreographers, designers and educators in Twin Cities dance.

Maginnis, who long performed with Ballet of the Dolls, was celebrated for executing the playful and whimsical choreography of Denise Armstead and Gerry Girouard in a show that was all about relationships.

Also honored as outstanding performer was Judith Howard, a longtime figure in Twin Cities dance. Howard performed in "People I Know: 9x22," which featured mature performers at Red Eye.

The two artists are part of a roster of nine winners of the Sages, which, since 2004, have celebrated the dance community's work. The awards are coordinated by Dana Kassel and Stuart Pimsler of Stuart Pimsler Dance Theatre.

Two awards were given for outstanding performance. The venerable Zorongo Flamenco Dance Theatre was honored for execution of "Lorca's Women," a show the Star Tribune's critic called "riveting." And PaviElle French, a noted Twin Cities singer and performer who blurs boundaries between genres, was celebrated for her solo show "Ovarian Fortitude."

The award for educator went to Gadu Doushin. Once known as Kats Fukasawa and a specialist in India's Bharatanatyam dance tradition, he reinvented himself as a butoh master and teacher.

There was a special citation for Derek Phillips, who performed with Nancy Hauser Dance Company and toured the nation with the Children's Theatre Company.

The award for outstanding ensemble went to the female hip-hop troupe S.H.E. for "9th Inning," which it performed last June as part of the Rooted: Hip Hop Choreographers' Evening showcase at Intermedia Arts in Minneapolis.

The Twin Cities dance ecology has had cyclical challenges as companies form and fold. The Sage Awards do not have the pop of, say, the Ivey Awards, which celebrates Twin Cities theater. Still, the Sages help to lift the spirit of a community that sometimes feels beleaguered.

Rohan Preston • 612-673-4390

@rohanpreston