Rivera will be honored with the eighth annual Boston Youth Moves Lifetime Achievement Award at the March 8 gala, which will be held at the Sheraton Boston Hotel. Past recipients of the award include Donald McKayle, Marge Champion and Gwen Verdon.
Those scheduled to be part of the evening include Catherine Zeta-Jones, Bebe Neuwirth and Rob Marshall — all Chicago veterans. Rivera created the role of Velma Kelly in the original Broadway production of Chicago; Neuwirth earned a Tony for her work as that merry murderess in the show's long-running revival; and Zeta-Jones played the role to Oscar-winning effect in the "Chicago" film, which was directed and choreographed by the Academy Award-nominated Rob Marshall.
The evening at the Sheraton will begin at 6:30 PM and will feature dancing, a performance by the BYM students, complimentary champagne, a dinner buffet, a silent auction and music by the Soul City Band. WCVB-TV (Channel 5) personality JC Monahan will host the event.
Born Dolores Conchita Figueroa del Rivero in 1933, Chita Rivera is one of the theatre's most acclaimed performers. She has won Tony Awards for her performances in two Kander and Ebb musicals, The Rink and Kiss of the Spider Woman, and was also nominated for her work in Bye Bye Birdie, Chicago, Bring Back Birdie, Merlin, Jerry's Girls and her most recent outing, the Tony-winning revival of Nine. Rivera's other Broadway credits include the musical Seventh Heaven, her Broadway debut; Mr. Wonderful; the original production of West Side Story; and Bajour. She appeared in the film version of "Sweet Charity," starred in the world premiere of Kander and Ebb's The Visit, and also headlined Bernarda Alba at the Mark Taper Forum. Rivera was most recently on Broadway in Chita Rivera: The Dancer's Life.
The Sheraton Boston Hotel is located at 39 Dalton Street in Boston, MA. Tickets, priced $150, will be available at the door. For tickets or more information call the Jeannette Neill Dance Studio at (617) 523-1355 or visit www.bostonyouthmoves.org. *
Co-founded in 1990 by Jim Viera and Jeannette Neill, Boston Youth Moves "provides ongoing dance education to help encourage young people to explore their limitless potential for artistic expression and realize personal success. Boston Youth Moves offers classes in many diverse disciplines of dance including jazz, ballet, modern and tap, as well as classes in various ethnic styles." For more information visit www.bostonyouthmoves.org.
