Gwyneth Evelyn "Gwen" Verdon was an American actress and dancer. She won four Tony Awards for her musical comedy performances, and she served as an uncredited choreographer's assistant and specialty dance coach for theater and film. Verdon was a critically acclaimed performer on Broadway in the 1950s, 1960s, and 1970s, having originated many roles in musicals, including Lola in Damn Yankees, the title character in Sweet Charity, and Roxie Hart in Chicago.
Kim Hunter was an American theatre, film, and television actress. She achieved prominence for portraying Stella Kowalski in the original production of Tennessee Williams' A Streetcar Named Desire, which she reprised for the 1951 film adaptation, and won both an Academy Award and a Golden Globe Award for Best Supporting Actress.
University of the Arts (UArts) was a private arts university in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Its campus made up part of the Avenue of the Arts cultural district in Center City, Philadelphia. On May 31, 2024, university administrators suddenly announced that the university would close on June 7, 2024, although its precarious financial situation had been known for some time. It was accredited by the Middle States Commission on Higher Education.
Jerome Robbins was an American dancer, choreographer, film director, theatre director and producer who worked in classical ballet, on stage, film, and television.
Kristen DeAnn Alderson is an American actress and singer. She is best known for playing the role of Starr Manning on the ABC soap opera One Life to Live and the ABC soap opera General Hospital. She also originated the role of Kiki Jerome on General Hospital. She won a Daytime Emmy Award for Outstanding Younger Actress for her role as Starr on General Hospital in 2013. She received nominations in the same category in 2014 and 2015.
Deborah Kaye Allen is an American actress, dancer, choreographer, singer, director, producer, and a former member of the President's Committee on the Arts and Humanities. She has been nominated 20 times for an Emmy Award, and two Tony Awards. She has won a Golden Globe Award, and received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame in 1991.
Interlochen Center for the Arts is a non-profit corporation which operates arts education institutions and performance venues. Established in 1928 by Joseph E. Maddy, Interlochen Center for the Arts is located on a 1,200-acre (490 ha) campus in Green Lake Township, Grand Traverse County, Michigan, near the eponymous community of Interlochen.
The New York UniversitySteinhardt School of Culture, Education, and Human Development is the education school of New York University. The school was founded as the School of Pedagogy in 1890. Prior to 2001, it was known as the NYU School of Education.
Stagecoach Performing Arts Limited is a professional part-time performing arts school, with over 3,000 schools across eight countries. Training is offered in singing, dancing and acting.
Sonya Tayeh is a New York City-based choreographer. She has worked nationally and internationally across the worlds of dance and theater.
Valarie Pettiford is an American stage and television actress, dancer, and jazz singer. She received a Tony Award nomination for her role in the broadway production Fosse. She is also known for her role as Deirdre "Big Dee Dee" LaFontaine Thorne on the UPN television sitcom Half & Half.
Arian Moayed is an Iranian-American actor, screenwriter, and director. Moayed received two Tony Award nominations for Best Featured Actor in a Play for his performances in Bengal Tiger at the Baghdad Zoo (2011) and A Doll's House (2023), and two Primetime Emmy Award nominations for his role as Stewy Hosseini in HBO's Succession.
Urdang, previously known as The Urdang Academy, is a performing arts academy based in Islington, London. The school was founded as a ballet school under the direction of Leonie Urdang; after her death her daughter and CEO Solange Urdang succeeded her in 2001, reinventing the school as a performing arts college and remaining director until 2022. In April 2022, Urdang was acquired by City, University of London. Urdang provides specialist vocational training in dance and musical theatre at further and higher education level.
George W. Faison is an American dancer, choreographer, teacher, and theater producer, and winner of a 1975 Tony, a Drama Desk Award, and a 1991 nominee for the Emmy Award for choreography. He was a featured dancer with the Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater, founder of the George Faison Universal Dance Experience, and co-founder/producing artistic director of the Faison Firehouse Theater.
