At last night’s Bessie Awards at the Apollo Theater in Harlem, we were surprised to hear that New York City’s first lady is a former Frank Hatchett devotee! That’s right: Chirlane McCray, whose husband is mayor Bill de Blasio, told the audience she used to take class from the late jazz icon (and 2013 DT Lifetime Achievement Award recipient) in her hometown of Springfield, Massachusetts. Is there anyone whose life he hasn’t touched?
Megan Williams at the 2014 Bessies
The excitement didn’t end there. The evening, which marked the awards’ 30th anniversary, featured a performance by Megan Williams (DT September 2014) in Mark Morris’ Bijoux, which was honored at the very first Bessies in 1984. And Michelle Dorrance (DT May 2012) and her dancers performed her brand of grounded rhythm tap in 2011’s Bessie-winning Three to One, where dancers are lit only from the hips down.
Michelle Dorrance’s Three in One
Chirlane McCray, Chuck Davis and Wendy Whelan on the red carpet
Photos by Christopher Duggan
