D'Amboise — who currently appears in Chicago and recently began the run of the Broadway revival of Sweet Charity (which Christina Applegate took over) — will receive a Special Award for her "invaluable contribution to Broadway dance during the 2004-05 season," according to a statement. The honor marks her second TDF/Astaire Award following her "Best Female Dancer" award for 1995's Damn Yankees.

Butz — Tony Award nominated star of Dirty Rotten Scoundrels — will be honored as "Best Male Dancer." This year, the committee did not name awardees in the categories of "Best Choreographer" or "Best Female Dancer."

The TDF/Astaire Awards are authorized under a special agreement between Mrs. Fred Astaire and Theatre Development Fund. The awards will be presented at a private reception June 14 hosted by TDF. Awardees for this year's honors were chosen from the season's Broadway productions of All Shook Up, Chitty Chitty Bang Bang, Dirty Rotten Scoundrels, Dracula, Forever Tango, Good Vibrations, La Cage aux Folles, Little Women, Monty Python's Spamalot, Pacific Overtures, Sweet Charity, The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee and The Frogs.

The 2005 TDF/Astaire Awards Committee includes New York Daily News (emeritus) chairman Douglas Watt, New York Post critic Clive Barnes, New York Daily News writer Howard Kissel, Associated Press reporter Michael Kuchwara, Ballet Review's Donald McDonagh, Dance Magazine's Richard Philp, American Dance Festival director Charles L. Reinhart and Newsday critic Linda Winer.

Previous winners of the award include Donna Murphy (Wonderful Town - Best Female Dancer), Hugh Jackman (The Boy From Oz - Best Male Dancer) and Kathleen Marshall (Wonderful Town - Best Choreographer) in 2004, Movin' Out's Elizabeth Parkinson, John Selya and choreographer Twyla Tharp in 2003 and Thoroughly Modern Millie's Sutton Foster with Oklahoma!'s Justin Bohon and choreographer Susan Stroman in 2002. For more information, go to www.tdf.org.