Tony Award

The Antoinette Perry Award for Excellence in Theatre, more commonly known informally as the Tony Award, recognizes achievement in live Broadway theatre. The awards are presented by the American Theatre Wing and The Broadway League at an annual ceremony in New York City. The awards are given for Broadway productions and performances, and an award is given for regional theatre. Several discretionary non-competitive awards are also given, including a Special Tony Award, the Tony Honors for Excellence in Theatre, and the Isabelle Stevenson Award. The awards are named after Antoinette Perry, co-founder of the American Theatre Wing.

The rules for the Tony Awards are set forth in the official document "Rules and Regulations of The American Theatre Wing's Tony Awards", which applies for that season only. The Tony Awards are considered the highest U.S. theatre honor, the New York theatre industry's equivalent to the Academy Awards (Oscars) for motion pictures, the Grammy Awards for music and the Emmy Awards for television, and the Laurence Olivier Award for theatre in the United Kingdom and the Molière Award of France.

MTV Video Music Award for Best Choreography

The MTV Video Music Award for Best Choreography in a Video is a craft award given to the artist, the artist's manager, and choreographer of the music video. The biggest winner is Frank Gatson with six wins. Michael Rooney follows closely behind with five wins.

Frank Gaston is also the most nominated choreographer with eleven nominations. He is followed by Tina Landon with nine nominations (and yet only one win). The performer whose videos have won the most awards is Janet Jackson, garnering a total of four Moonmen for choreography. However, Madonna's videos have received the most nominations with twelve.

Seven performers have won a Moonman in this category for their work choreographing or co-choreographing their own videos: Michael Jackson ("Thriller"), Prince ("Raspberry Beret"), Paula Abdul ("Straight Up"), Janet Jackson ("Rhythm Nation"), Madonna ("Ray of Light"), Shakira ("Hips Don't Lie"), Bruno Mars ("Treasure"), and OK Go ("I Won't Let You Down"). An additional nine other performers/groups have been nominated for their work choreographing their own videos: Toni Basil, Morris Day, Bobby Brown, MC Hammer, Marky Mark and the Funky Bunch, Quad City DJ's, Jason Kay, Janelle Monáe, and Beyoncé.

Andy Blankenbuehler

Andy Blankenbuehler (born March 7, 1970) is an American dancer, choreographer and director primarily for stage and concerts. He won the Tony Award and Drama Desk Award for his choreography for In the Heights.

Life and career

Blankenbuehler was born in Cincinnati, Ohio and is a 1988 graduate of St. Xavier High School and 1984 graduate of Nativity School in Cincinnati.

As a performer, he has appeared on Broadway in many musicals, from Guys and Dolls (1992-1995) to Fosse (1999-2001).

His Broadway work as a choreographer includes the musicals In the Heights (2007–08) and 9 to 5 (2008–09). He won the Tony Award and Drama Desk Award for his choreography for In the Heights. Other New York work includes choreography for the "Broadway By The Year:1930, 1938 and 1978" series, and the City Center Encores! productions of The Apple Tree (2006) and The Wiz (2009). He is the director and choreographer of Bring It On: The Musical, written by Jeff Whitty, with music by Lin-Manuel Miranda and Tom Kitt and lyrics by Lin-Manuel Miranda and Amanda Green, which premiered at the Alliance Theatre, Atlanta, Georgia, in January 16, 2011. This production also performed at the Ahmanson Theater in Los Angeles where Blankenbuehler won the 2011 LA Drama Critics Circle Award for Best Choreography.

Luis Salgado

Luis Salgado (born August 30, 1980 in Bayamón, Puerto Rico) is a Puerto Rican performer, director, choreographer, and producer. His career has led him to Broadway, film, television, and stages around the world. He has worked with performers such as Corbin Bleu, Lin-Manuel Miranda, Patti LuPone, Laura Benanti, Amy Adams, Patrick Dempsey and Diego Luna.

Personal life

Salgado was born in Bayamón, Puerto Rico, and raised in a nearby town called Vega Alta, Puerto Rico. He studied theatre in 1998 at the University of Puerto Rico. He moved to New York City in 2012, and currently resides in Manhattan with his wife and child.

Career

Salgado made his Off-Broadway debut in 2003 with the musical Fame as a replacement for Enrico Rodriguez and understudy for the role of Joe Vegas. In 2004 he worked on the film Dirty Dancing: Havana Nights as the dance double for the role of Javier played by Diego Luna. In 2005 Salgado originated the role of Frankie Suarez in the musical The Mambo Kings’’ In 2006 he starred as Bobby in the musical A Chorus Line in his return to Puerto Rico as a special guest artist. The musical featured local legends such as Braulio Castillo, Jr., Angel Viera, Daniela Droz and Nashalí Enchautegui among others. Later in the production Salgado replaced Angel Viera as Paul at the Luis A. Ferré Performing Arts Center.

Bachelor of Fine Arts

A Bachelor of Fine Arts (BFA, B.F.A.) is the standard undergraduate degree for students in the United States and Canada seeking a professional education in the visual or performing arts.

Background

In the United States the Bachelor of Fine Arts degree differs from a Bachelor of Arts degree in that the majority of the program consists of a practical studio component, as contrasted with lecture and discussion classes. A typical BFA program in the United States consists of two-thirds study in the arts, with one-third in more general liberal arts studies. For a BA in Art, the ratio might be reversed.

The National Association of Schools of Art and Design (NASAD), which accredits Bachelor of Fine Arts programs in visual art and design in the United States, states that "the professional degree (BFA) focuses on intensive work in the visual arts supported by a program of general studies," whereas "the liberal arts degree (BA) focuses on art and design in the context of a broad program of general studies."