Broadway Finally Honors an Overlooked Legend

Got this great email press release about Career Transition for Dancers honoring the great Sono Osato:

SONO OSATO TO BE HONORED

ROLEX Presents On Broadway!: A Glittering Salute to the American Musical

Career Transition for Dancers’ 23rd Anniversary Jubilee

Monday, October 27, 2008 at 7:00pm, New York City Center

Rolex presents ON BROADWAY! A Glittering Salute to the American Musical”—Career Transition For Dancers, 23rd Anniversary Jubilee on Monday, October 27 at 7pm at New York City Center, 131 West 55 Street (bet. 7 & 6 Aves). Multi award-winning actress Angela Lansbury will host the gala, which will be followed by an “Anniversary Supper with the Stars” at Hilton New York’s Grand Ballroom. “On Broadway!: A Glittering Salute to the American Musical,” is a glorious historical journey inside the Broadway musical seen through the eyes of legendary choreographers. Their choreography transformed Broadway shows into the greatest musicals of all time.

Sono Osato will receive the Career Transition for Dancers’ Award for Outstanding Contributions to the World of Dance. A renowned dancer and actress, and one of the first American dancers in de Basil’s original Ballet Russe de Monte Carlo, she later became a member of the exciting Ballet Theatre of the 1940s, performing with Nora Kaye, Alexandra Danilova, Antony Tudor, Lucia Chase, Agnes de Mille and Jerome Robbins. Tudor created the role of “Rosaline” in Romeo and Juliet for her. Ms. Osato appeared on Broadway in de Mille’s One Touch of Venus (Donaldson Award) and starred in the role of ‘Miss Turnstiles’ in the classic On the Town (choreographed by Robbins). Ms. Osato’s beauty, intelligence and lyrical grace were the hallmarks of her brilliant career.

Cynthia Gregory, Chairman Emerita of Career Transition for Dancers, stated “On behalf of our Gala Chairs, Gala Leadership Committee, Board of Directors and the more than 3,900 dancers we serve nationwide, we are thrilled to honor Sono Osato for her illustrious dance career spanning the Ballets Russes de Monte Carlo, American Ballet Theatre and the Broadway stage. Sono’s compassion for dancers and their well-being is known throughout the dance community and so generously demonstrated in 2006 by establishing The Sono Osato Scholarship Program for Graduate Studies at Career Transition for Dancers.”

Career Transition For Dancers, with offices in New York City and Los Angeles, has helped thousands of professional dancers identify their unique talents in preparation for establishing new careers when dance is no longer an option. Since 1985, they have provided more than 38,000 hrs (equivalent to $4 million) of one-on-one career counseling & program services (at no cost) and has awarded millions of dollars in scholarships for education and grants. CTFD also provides dancers with specialized services that include seminars and workshops, peer support groups, resource centers, a toll-free national hotline, and National Networking Directory. The Caroline & Theodore Newhouse Center for Dancers is at 165 West 46th Street, Suite 701 (at Broadway – the Actors’ Equity Building) NYC. The phone number is (212) 764-0172 and the fax is (212) 764-0343 and in Los Angeles (323) 549-6660. www.careertransition.org

Gala tickets are $600, $750 & $1,200 each, which includes the performance and a post-performance “Anniversary Supper with the Stars,” live auction and dancing. Sponsorships, tables and journal ads are also available. For Patron tickets call Marjorie Horne, McEvoy & Assocs. at (212) 228-7446 x33 and for Group Sales (718) 499-9691.

The Honorary Chairs are Cynthia Gregory, Donna McKechnie, Kevin McKenzie, Jane Powell, Ann Reinking, & Chita Rivera. The 23rd Anniversary Chairs are Anka K. Palitz and Allen Brill. Gala Chairs: Victor Elmaleh, Victoria Herbert, Michele Riggi, Yolanda Santos, Susan Fawcett Sosin, and Laura Zeckendorf. Artistic Chair is Ann Marie DeAngelo. The Dinner Chair is Janice Becker; Auction Chairs are Denise L. Cobb, Ann Van Ness; West Coast Chair is Roberta Silbert and Journal Chairs are David Goldring & Michael Weiskopf. Vice Chairs are Alexander Dubé, Mercedes Ellington, Niko Elmaleh, Irene Shen & Heléne Alexopoulos Warrick. Show only tickets are $130, $75, $55 and $45.

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