LOS ANGELES— Dec. 4, 2025 — In a night that will be remembered as a turning point in the cultural history of dance, the first-ever Dance Hall of Fame ceremony dazzled a full crowd at the Glorya Kaufman Performing Arts Center on Wednesday, Dec. 3. Visionaries, entertainers, dance legends and Hollywood icons united under one roof for an unforgettable tribute to the artists who shaped the language of movement.

The ten inaugural inductees, Alvin Ailey, Mikhail Baryshnikov, Stephen “tWitch” Boss, Misty Copeland, Bob Fosse, Martha Graham, Gene Kelly, Kenny Ortega, Jerome Robbins and Twyla Tharp, were honored with a limited-edition Lalique “Music Is Love” crystal heart, originally crafted with Sir Elton John in support of the Elton John AIDS Foundation. In attendance to accept their awards were honorees Baryshnikov, Ortega and Tharp, as was entertainment icon Shirley MacLaine, who was presented with the Dance Hall of Fame Lifetime Achievement Award, which will be named the “Dance Hall of Fame Shirley MacLaine Lifetime Achievement Award,” an award that will carry her name going forward.

The star power was undeniable from the moment the lights dimmed. Acclaimed actor, author, producer and dancer Channing Tatum, Tony- and Emmy-winning actress, singer and dancer Bebe Neuwirth, Tony Award-nominated actress, singer and dancer Lisa Mordente and Broadway performer Dylis Croman electrified the room as presenters, each taking the stage to celebrate the honorees whose work defined and redefined what dance could be.

Family members were also in attendance to accept awards in memory of honorees, including Bob Fosse’s grandson, Noah Fosse, the wife of Gene Kelly, Patricia Kelly, and Stephen “tWitch” Boss’s mother, Connie Boss Alexander, and brother, Deondre Rose.

They were joined in the audience by dance-world luminaries, including choreographer of the box office hits Wicked and Wicked: For Good, Christopher Scott; award-winning singer, choreographer and actress Toni Basil; Anna Trebunskaya of Dancing with the Stars; and So You Think You Can Dance and Dancing With the Stars alumni Chelsie Hightower and Dmitry Chaplin, among others, turning the evening into a true gathering of legends across genres and generations. The evening was emceed and hosted by director, writer, producer and author Stuart K. Robinson.

From the moment the curtain rose, the celebration unfolded like a living history of dance. The  Martha Graham Dance Company delivered a breathtaking, modern masterwork; So You Think You Can Dance All-Stars Comfort Fedoke, Du-Shaunt “Fik-Shun” Stegall and Cyrus Spencer honored tWitch with a powerful hip-hop tribute that moved many in the audience to tears; original choreography from the 1961 motion picture West Side Story was performed in tribute to Jerome Robbins; and an electrifying homage to Bob Fosse pulsed with the unmistakable angles, syncopation and attitude of his iconic style. The night crescendoed with a showstopping performance of “(I’ve Had) The Time of My Life,” a joyous salute to honoree Kenny Ortega.

The ceremony also featured deeply personal tribute messages from Goldie Hawn, Hugh Jackman, Gloria Estefan, Kristin Chenoweth, Bill Medley, Vanessa Hudgens and filmmaker Jon M. Chu, each sharing memories and gratitude for the inductees whose influence shaped their own creative journeys.

The inaugural Dance Hall of Fame was conceived and produced by Emmy Award–winning choreographer Anita Mann and seven-time Emmy-winning director Louis J. Horvitz, in collaboration with Jeff Thacker, five-time Emmy-nominated executive producer of So You Think You Can Dance. Together, they delivered an evening that not only celebrated history but made it, ensuring that dance, at last, has a permanent home to honor its brightest lights.

More information about each of the inductees is below:

• Shirley MacLaine: The first recipient of the Lifetime Achievement Award, the legendary actress and dancer’s bold, versatile career spans film, stage and live performance. A lifelong dancer, MacLaine made her professional dancing debut in a Broadway revival of Oklahoma! in the 1950s and has built a body of work defined by physicality, precision and storytelling from her standout performances in Sweet Charity and Irma La Douce to her acclaimed Las Vegas production The Gypsy in My Soul and her celebrated stage show Shirley MacLaine on Broadway. Her illustrious career comprises more than 80 credits across stage and screen, earning six Academy Award nominations, including a win for “Best Actress” in Terms of Endearment; six Emmy Award nominations; and seven Golden Globe Awards, including the Cecil B. DeMille Award for Lifetime Achievement; and the Legion of Honor in 2011, France’s most prestigious cultural award, presented by France’s Minister of Culture and Communication, Frederic Mitterrand. She is widely known for her iconic roles in The Apartment, Steel Magnolias and other classics and is the author of ten international bestsellers. This honor recognizes MacLaine’s enduring influence as a performer whose work helped shape modern musical and cinematic dance.

• Alvin Ailey: Founder of the Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater, Ailey transformed modern dance with choreography rooted in African American cultural experience. His landmark masterpiece Revelations remains one of the most performed and beloved modern dance pieces in history. Through his company, school and outreach programs, Ailey broke barriers, elevated Black voices and celebrated the power of the human spirit, redefining the possibilities of movement.

• Mikhail Baryshnikov: Widely regarded as one of the greatest ballet dancers of all time, Baryshnikov’s career spans the Kirov Ballet, American Ballet Theatre and New York City Ballet. His technical mastery, emotional depth and groundbreaking performances brought ballet to mainstream audiences around the world. Beyond dance, the Academy Award and Tony Award nominee has become a cultural icon and a passionate advocate for the arts.

• Stephen “tWitch” Boss: “tWitch” studied hip-hop from an early age and grew to create a style all his own that spoke to a new generation of dancers. He rose to fame as a runner-up on Season 4 of TV’s So You Think You Can Dance and then as a DJ and dancer on The Ellen DeGeneres Show. His unique style took him into the world of film with Step Up 2 and the Magic Mike franchise. He returned to SYTYCD as an All-Star, choreographer, mentor and judge. But it was through his own unique style of dance, his global presence and impact, and a successful career in TV & film that solidified his place in the world of hip-hop. His influence, energy, and passion helped redefine hip-hop as a form of storytelling that continues to inspire and connect across generations.

• Misty Copeland: In 2015, Copeland made history as the first African American woman promoted to principal dancer at American Ballet Theatre (ABT). Known for her artistry and athleticism, she has performed lead roles in Swan Lake, The Nutcracker and Firebird. She recently took her final bow with ABT on Oct. 22, 2025. Offstage, she continues to champion diversity and accessibility in ballet through her foundation, The Misty Copeland Foundation. She additionally founded Life in Motion Productions, a production company with a mission to expose audiences to inspiring and entertaining art and culture-based stories. In 2015, Copeland made history as the first African American woman promoted to principal dancer at American Ballet Theatre (ABT). Known for her artistry and athleticism, she has performed lead roles in Swan Lake, The Nutcracker and Firebird. She recently took her final bow with ABT on Oct. 22, 2025. Offstage, she continues to champion diversity and accessibility in ballet, using her platform to inspire and empower young dancers worldwide.

• Bob Fosse: A founder of the Stage Directors and Choreographers Society (SDC), Fosse remains one of the most influential figures in Broadway and film history. The only person ever to win an Oscar, Emmy, and Tony Award for directing in the same year, he earned eight Tony Awards overall, more than any other choreographer. His distinct, instantly recognizable style, turned-in knees, hunched shoulders, and syncopated precision, revolutionized musical theater. Through works such as Cabaret, All That Jazz, Chicago, Sweet Charity and Pippin, Fosse redefined the art form and left a legacy that continues to inspire generations of dancers and storytellers.

• Martha Graham: Named the “Dancer of the Century” in 1999 by Time Magazine, Graham was one of the great pioneers of American Dance and developed a powerful new movement vocabulary based on contraction and release. Her choreography redefined expression through dance and continues to influence generations of choreographers and performers. The Martha Graham Dance Company, founded by Graham in 1926, remains one of the world’s most respected and celebrated dance companies.

• Gene Kelly: Kelly brought athleticism and charisma to dance in film, redefining the male dancer’s image in Hollywood musicals. Known for classics like Singin’ in the Rain and An American in Paris, he choreographed and co-directed iconic sequences that combined cinematic innovation with timeless joy. His work forever linked dance with film as a storytelling art form.

• Kenny Ortega: Known as The Quintessential Music Man, Ortega has directed, choreographed, and created some of the most beloved cultural touchstones of all time, including Dirty Dancing, Newsies, Hocus Pocus, and the High School Musical and The Descendants franchises, among many others. Ortega also discovered and platformed the careers of stars such as young Christian Bale, Zac Efron, Vanessa Hudgens, Dove Cameron, Sofia Carson, Charlie Gillespie, among others, as well as worked with Miley Cyrus, The Cheetah Girls and The Jonas Brothers. A protégé of Gene Kelly, he began his career choreographing for music legends, including The Tubes, Elton John, Cher, Gloria Estefan, The Pointer Sisters, Gladys Knight, Fleetwood Mac and Diana Ross, before also moving into film and television. He served as Michael Jackson’s longtime creative partner and concert director, shaping some of pop’s most iconic performances and inspiring an unprecedented global community of fans of all ages throughout his career.  Ortega has been hailed as the “Billion Dollar Maestro” by Variety and, in addition to countless international accolades, has received three Emmy Awards, two Directors Guild Awards, and the prestigious Disney Legends Award.

• Jerome Robbins: A towering figure in both ballet and Broadway, Robbins’ genius extended from West Side Story and Fiddler on the Roof to The King and I and Gypsy. He combined narrative precision with emotional movement, earning two Academy Awards for the film, West Side Story, in addition to four Tony Awards, five Donaldson Awards, an Emmy Award, the Screen Directors' Guild Award and the New York Drama Critics Circle Award. Robbins was a 1981 Kennedy Center Honors Recipient and was awarded the French Chevalier dans l'Ordre National de la Legion d'Honneur. Among the more than 60 ballets he created are Fancy Free, Afternoon of a Faun, The Concert, Dances at a Gathering, Glass Pieces and West Side Story Suite, which are in the repertoires of major dance companies throughout the world. 

• Twyla Tharp: A trailblazer in modern choreography, Tharp has created more than 125 works that fuse classical technique with contemporary rhythm and emotion. Her innovations have spanned ballet, Broadway and film, earning her Tony Awards, Kennedy Center Honors and a National Medal of Arts. Her approach continues to shape modern movement and performance around the world.

The mission of the Dance Hall of Fame Foundation (501c3 pending) is as follows: “The Dance Hall of Fame Foundation educates and engages future generations of dancers, choreographers, and creators. Grounded in the names and histories of those inducted into the Dance Hall of Fame, the Foundation focuses on inspiring emerging artists; it is critical to the ongoing development of the art of dance and the strength of our global dance community that the next generation of artists feels empowered to create. The Dance Hall of Fame Foundation is committed to breaking barriers and providing the stage for dancers and choreographers to continue raising the barre.”