AWA DANCE Women in Dance Award

Posted on April 21, 2021

The first recipient of the AWA DANCE Women in Dance Award was announced on March 26 – the winner was Vicki Igbokwe, director of Uchenna Dance. Hosted by AWA DANCE director Avatâra Ayuso, the Women in Dance Award was attended by 90 members of the UK dance sector and held through virtual event platform Remo.

The six shortlisted women – Tamsin Fitzgerald, Kamara Gray, Vicki Igbokwe, Lucy McCrudden, Genevieve Say and Kate Stanforth – discussed what kept them motivated through 2020 and their hopes for the future of women in the dance sector. Before announcing the Women in Dance Award recipient, dance critic Graham Watts announced honourable mentions, with the jury highlighting Kamara Gray and Lucy McCrudden. After unpacking her sculpted award, created by artist Silvia Lerin, Igbokwe spoke about strength and resilience in 2020.

Nicola Rayner

Nicola Rayner was editor of Dance Today from 2010 to 2015. She has written for a number of publications including The Guardian, The Independent and Time Out Buenos Aires, where she cut her teeth as a dance journalist working on the tango section. Today she continues to dance everything from ballroom to breakdance, with varying degrees of success. Her debut novel, The Girl Before You, was published last year in paperback, ebook and audiobook.