Unquestionably a seminal figure in contemporary dance, Lucinda Childs studied with Merce Cunningham, founded the Lucinda Childs Dance Company, performed and choreographed for the legendary Einstein on the Beach with Robert Wilson and Philip Glass, created the iconic Dance, with Glass and visual artist Sol Lewitt, and has also collaborated with John Adams and Frank Gehry. Ms. Childs holds a Lifetime Achievement Bessie Award and the 2017 Venice Dance Biennial’s Golden Lion for Lifetime Achievement, and in 2018 was inducted into the Hall of Fame of the National Museum of Dance in the U.S. In France, she is Commandeur de l’Ordre des arts et des lettres and Commandeur de l’Ordre de la Légion d’honneur. She is a member of the Arts Arena’s Advisory Council.
Known for his work with the Ballet Frankfurt and The Forsythe Company, William Forsythe has introduced groundbreaking ballets and experimental, dance-theater works, as well as an open-access digital platform for dance analysis, notation, and improvisation; his works are in the repertoire of many of the world’s major ballet companies. Awards include the New York Dance and Performance “Bessie” Award (1988, 1998, 2004, 2007), London’s Laurence Olivier Award (1992, 1999, 2009, Commandeur de l’Ordre des arts et des lettres, the Hessian Cultural Prize, the German Distinguished Service Cross, the Wexner Prize, the Golden Lion of the Venice Biennale, Samuel H Scripps / American Dance Festival Award for Lifetime Achievement, the Grand Prix de la SACD, and in 2020, the German theatre prize DER FAUST Lifetime Achievement Award.