Update: Turns out Gia Kourlas in on the same page with a delightfully detailed critique of the Bessie categories on the Times‘ ArtsBeat blog. I can’t entirely agree with comments like this, though:

But this type of categorization makes me wonder: Does the Bessie committee not know what it’s looking at? Or does it exist in a time capsule where Judson Dance Theater, the artistic movement that ushered in postmodern dance and embraced pedestrian movement, never happened? Instead, there seems to be more attention focused on raising the profile of the Bessies than on artistic achievement.

It’s unfair–the problem isn’t the Bessies’ profile, it’s that the Bessie committee is dedicated to making the awards more inclusive. An admirable goal, but what does it accomplish? Arbitrary and unnecessarily broad categorization doesn’t actually do justice to the artists’ accomplishments. The Bessies in the prior incarnation seemed to work precisely because they were focused on downtown. A desire to open them up them up to other forms, other regions, and to make them less white are all great, but if they can’t properly represent the diversity of the field we call “dance,” they’re doing no one a favor.

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I’ll be the first to admit that sometimes nomenclature is tough when it comes to naming things in my little bailiwick of the arts world. But “at the performance end of the dance spectrum”?

That’s the new category designation the Bessies are using this year, along with the large (more than 400 seats) and small (less than 400) venues, and last year’s “work that stretches the boundaries of a traditional or culturally specific form.” I think there’s a lot of skepticism being expressed about these categories, and for good reason–there’s a hell of a lot of judgment involved in deciding who’s a traditionalist, who’s a boundary pushing traditionalist, and what performance is close enough to dance to be eligible. Nrityagaram Dance Troupe is nominated for “outstanding performance in a larger venue” but apparently doesn’t sufficiently “stretch the boundaries” of Indian classical dance, whereas the Lincoln Center’s Jazz Meets Flamenco apparently does (flamenco, jazz, and tap–who’d’a thunk it?).

So yeah, I understand the problem with trying to figure out a meaningful way of putting together these awards, but really? “Performance end of the dance spectrum” is only nominally better than last year’s “work not technically considered dance…” Really, it’s not solving the problem, it’s just putting it positively rather than negatively.

Anyway, here’s your list of nominees (and apologies for the tardiness–this was actually announced almost three weeks ago):

Final Works for Each 2012 Award Category

Outstanding Production (of a work performed in a larger capacity venue of more than 400 seats):
– Event by Merce Cunningham, performed at the Park Avenue Armory
– Preludes and Fugues by Emanual Gat, performed by Ballet du Grand Theatre de Geneve at the Joyce Theater
– Samhara performed by the Nrityagaram Dance Troupe at the Joyce Theater

Outstanding Production (of a work that stretches the boundaries of a traditional or culturally specific form):
– La Edad de Oro by Israel Galvan, performed at the Joyce Theater
– Dingle Diwali by the Darrah Carr Dance Company with guest choreographer Sean Curran, performed at Symphony Space
– Jazz Meets Flamenco by Juan de Juan and Jason Samuels Smith, performed at Jazz at Lincoln Center

Outstanding Production (of a work performed in a smaller capacity venue of less than 400 seats):
–Twin Pines by Keely Garfield, performed at Danspace Project
– NOX by Rashaun Mitchell, performed at Danspace Project
– Antigone Sr./Twenty Looks or Paris is Burning at the Judson Church by Trajal Harrell, performed at New York Live Arts

Outstanding Production (of a work not technically considered dance but happening in and influencing dance in New York):
– The Rehearsal by Cuqui Jerez, performed at Performance Space 122, and the French Institute’s Crossing the Line Festival at the Performing Garage
– Big Girls Do Big Things by Eleanor Bauer, performed in Perfoma 11 at New York Live Arts, and in American Realness at Abrons Arts Center
– The Thank-you Bar by Emily Johnson, performed at New York Live Arts

Outstanding Revived Work:
– Fort Blossom revisited by John Jasperse, performed at New York Live Arts
– The Shining by Yvonne Meier, presented by New York Live Arts
– Roaratorio by Merce Cunningham, performed at the Brooklyn Academy of Music

Outstanding Visual Design:
– Wendall Harrington and Simon Pastuk, for set and projection design for Firebird by American Ballet Theatre
– Company XIV, for light, set and costume design, for Snow White, performed at 303 Bond Street
– Doris Dziersk, for set design for Blessed by Meg Stuart, performed at New York Live Arts
– Christine Shallenberg, for lighting design for Restless Eye by David Neumann, performed at New York Live Arts

Outstanding Sound Design or Composition:
– Alex Waterman for Show by Maria Hassabi, performed at the Kitchen
– Christian Wolf, John King, David Behrman, and Takehisa Kosugi for Event by Merce Cunningham, performed at the Park Avenue Armory
– Pandit Raghunath Panigrahi, Dhaneswar Swain, Prasanna Rupatilake, and Surupa Sen for Samhara by Nrityagram, performed at the Joyce Theater
– Flamme Kapaya and band for more more more . . . future, by Faustin Linkyekula, performed at the Kitchen in the French Institute’s Crossing the Line Festival

Outstanding Emerging Choreographer:
– Jennifer Weber and DECADANCE colleagues for DECA, performed at Joyce Soho
– Liz Santoro for We Do Our Best, performed at Danspace Project
– Lee Sher and Saar Harari for Fame, performed at Montclair State University
– Rashaun Mitchell for NOX, performed at Danspace Project

Outstanding Performer (of a work performed in a larger capacity venue of more than 400 seats):
– Shantala Shivalingappa in Swayanbhu by Shantala Shivalingappla, performed in World Music Institute at the Skirball Center for the Performing Arts
– Silas Riener in Split Sides by Merce Cunningham at the Brooklyn Academy of Music
– David Hallberg for his work with The Bolshoi Ballet and American Ballet Theatre

Outstanding Performer (of a work that stretches the boundaries of a traditional or culturally specific form):
– Dormeshia Sumbry-Edwards for sustained achievement in performance, and her work with Jason Samuels Smith at the Joyce Theater
– Gianne Abbott in Brazil! Brazil!, performed at the New Victory Theater
– Jessica Alejandra Wyatt in Asuka by Eduardo Vilaro, performed by Ballet Hispanico at the Apollo Theater

Outstanding Performer (of a work performed in a smaller capacity venue of less than 400 seats):
– Omagbitse Omagbemi for sustained achievement in the works of Keely Garfield, Ralph Lemon, David Gordon, Urban Bush Women, and many others
– Ryoji Sasamoto in Glowing by Kota Yamazaki, performed at the Japan Society
– Silas Riener for sustained achievement in the works of Merce Cunningham and in NOX by Rashaun Mitchell

Outstanding Performer (of a work not technically considered dance but happening in and influencing dance in New York):
– John Fleck in Mad Women by John Fleck, performed at La MaMa
– Emily Wexler in Mad Heidi by Yvonne Meier, performed in American Realness at Abrons Arts Center
– Nicole Mannarino in Devotion Study #1 by Sarah Michelson, performed at the Whitney Museum