The Dance Hall of Fame was created to recognize dance’s cultural impact and its greatest contributors. Its 2026 class of honorees will be inducted at a ceremony on Tuesday, December 15, at The Eli & Edythe Broad Stage at the Santa Monica College Performing Arts Center. Tickets are available for purchase on the Dance Hall of Fame website, while the full list of inductees will be revealed later this month at dancehalloffame.org.
The inaugural Dance Hall of Fame ceremony was held last December at The Glorya Kaufman Performing Arts Center. The founding class included Alvin Ailey, Mikhail Baryshnikov, Stephen ‘tWitch’ Boss, Misty Copeland, Bob Fosse, Martha Graham, Gene Kelly, Kenny Ortega, Jerome Robbins and Twyla Tharp. Shirley MacLaine received the inaugural Lifetime Achievement Award, an honor that now carries her name as the “Dance Hall of Fame Shirley MacLaine Lifetime Achievement Award.”
“The worlds of music and film have long had institutions honoring their greatest talents. Now, dance finally has its own Hall of Fame, a place to recognize the creativity, courage and brilliance that define this art form,” said Anita Mann, co-founder of the Dance Hall of Fame. “Establishing this institution was long overdue, and this cements Dance Hall of Fame as the permanent home dance has always deserved. We look forward to new inductees each year and sharing their legacies to educate and inspire the generations of dancers, choreographers and creators who will follow in their footsteps.”
The 535-seat Eli & Edythe Broad Stage, part of the Santa Monica College Performing Arts Center, will host the 2026 ceremony.
The Dance Hall of Fame was established by founding members Mann, an Emmy-winning choreographer; seven-time Emmy-winning director Louis J. Horvitz; and dance documentarians Melinda and Kurt Soderling. The organization also has a 13-member board representing dance, philanthropy, education and entertainment. Mann and Horvitz, along with Jeff Thacker, multi-award-winning television producer and five-time Emmy Award nominee as Executive Producer of So You Think You Can Dance, serve as executive producers of the ceremony, with the Soderlings serving as producers.
Mann has choreographed for Elvis Presley, Cher, Michael Jackson, The Muppets and the “Solid Gold” dancers and is the longtime producer of Fantasy in Las Vegas. Horvitz has directed the Grammy Awards, Academy Awards, Emmy Awards and Kennedy Center Honors.
As the Dance Hall of Fame continues to build on its inaugural class, the organization plans to add a new group of honorees each year and share their legacies with future generations.
Visit dancehalloffame.org to learn more.
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