• Source: Capezio

Capezio is the trade name of Capezio Ballet Makers Inc., an American manufacturer of dance shoes, apparel and accessories.




History


In 1887, Salvatore Capezio, an Italian cobbler emigrated to the United States, opened a shoe repair shop near the old Metropolitan Opera House in New York City. He began his business by repairing theatrical shoes for the Met, and transitioned from cobbler to shoemaker when he created a fine pair of shoes for Polish tenor Jean de Reszke in an emergency. His shop soon became a meeting place for dancers who would stop by to discuss their needs and purchase his shoes.
Over time, his reputation grew and visiting dancers would often come to his shop to purchase shoes. One of those visitors, Anna Pavlova, purchased Capezio pointe shoes for herself and her entire company during her first tour of the United States in 1910, thereby helping Capezio establish wide public visibility.
From 1940, Ben Sommers was president of the company until his death in 1985. He used his position to promote and support dance and performance art, establishing events such as National Dance Week in 1978 and in 1957, the Capezio Dance Award. Under Sommers's tenure, in 1941, Lord & Taylor, Neiman-Marcus, and other stores began to market and distribute Capezio footwear.
Salvatore Capezio's family eventually joined him in the business, and today the company is operated by third- and fourth-generation family members. The company now employs modern, computerized manufacturing systems, though its Special Make-up Department continues to hand craft special order footwear
In 2017, Lynn Shanahan became the first non-family CEO of Capezio.




Notable users


Numerous celebrities endorsed the company's products over the years, such as Fred Astaire, Gene Kelly, Sammy Davis Jr., Alicia Alonso, Bob Fosse, Gregory Hines, Mick Jagger, Liza Minnelli, Ben Vereen, David Lee Roth, Madonna, Justin Timberlake, Gwen Stefani, Britney Spears, Katy Perry, Lady Gaga and Maddie Ziegler.




Capezio Dance Award


The company established the "Capezio Dance Award" in 1952 to recognize significant achievements in dance. In 1953 it created the Capezio Foundation to administer the awards program and operate a grant program for non-profit organizations.

Award recipients
1952: Zachary Solov
1953: Lincoln Kirstein
1954: Doris Humphrey
1955: Louis Horst
1956: Genevieve Oswald
1957: Ted Shawn
1958: Alexandra Danilova
1959: Sol Hurok
1960: Martha Graham
1961: Ruth St. Denis
1962: Barbara Karinska
1963: Donald McKayle
1964: José Limón
1965: Maria Tallchief
1966: Agnes de Mille
1967: Paul Taylor (choreographer)
1968: Lucia Chase
1969: John Martin (dance critic)
1970: William Kolodney
1971: Arthur Mitchell
1972: La Meri, Reginald Laubin, Gladys Laubin
1973: Isadora Bennett
1974: Robert Joffrey
1975: Robert Augustine Irving
1976: Jerome Robbins
1977: Merce Cunningham
1978: Hanya Holm
1979: Alvin Ailey
1980: Walter Terry (dance critic)
1981: Dorothy Alexander
1982: Alwin Nikolais
1983: Harvey Lichtenstein
1984: Willam Christensen, Lew Christensen, Harold Christiansen
1985: Doris Hering
1986: Antony Tudor
1987: Fred Astaire, Bob Fosse, Rudolf Nureyev, Jac Venza
1988: Charles "Honi" Coles
1989: Edward Villella
1990: Jacques d'Amboise
1991: John Curry, Katherine Dunham, Darci Kistler, Igor Youskevitch
1992: Frederic Franklin
1993: Dance/USA
1994: Urban Bush Women
1995: Bruce Marks
1996: Charles L. Reinhart
1997: Mark Morris
1998: Jacob's Pillow Foundation trustees
1999: Bella Lewitsky
2000: David R. White
2001: Career Transition for Dancers
2002: Michael M. Kaiser
2003: Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater
2004: Savion Glover
2005: Suzanne Farrell
2006: Donald Saddler
2007: Carmen de Lavallade
2008: Chuck Davis
2009: Arlene Shuler
2010: Trisha Brown
2011: Desmond Richardson
2012: Tommy Tune
2013: Twyla Tharp
2014: Cynthia Gregory
2015: Juilliard School
2018: Debbie Allen, David Parsons, Michelle Dorrance, Mr. Wiggles, Wendy Whelan




Capezio A.C.E. Awards


The Capezio A.C.E. Awards competition ran from 2009–2021 and recognized influential choreographers. Around 150 to 250 choreographers applied each year and 15 finalists were selected to compete for winner, 1st runner-up, and 2nd runner-up. Monetary prizes are awarded to help fund the choreographers next piece, respectively, $15,000, $5,000, and $3,000. All styles of dance are represented, including tap, jazz, ballet, modern, lyrical, and musical theater.
Award Recipients and Winning Pieces:

2009: Travis Wall, "Its Gonna Be A Long Walk"
2010: Peter Chu
2011: Al Blackstone, "Brown Eyed Girl"
2012: Melinda Sullivan, "Something More"
2013: Erica Sobol, "Black Flies/Heavy Skies"
2014: Talia Favia, "The Difference Between Actions and Words"
2015: Kristen Russell, "Islands"
2016: Martha Nichols, "Tilted"
2017: Will Johnstone and Marissa Osato, "Peel"
2018: Mary Grace McNally, "Not For Picking"
2020: Grayson McGuire and Shiori Kamijo, "Boots"
2021: Taylor Tsvyetkov, "You Broke Me First"




Notes






References

Kata Kunci Pencarian:

• Emma Portner
• Bob Fosse
• Agnes de Mille
• Rudolf Nureyev
• Martha Graham
• Jerome Robbins
• John Turturro
• Capezio
• Salvatore Capezio
• Carmen de Lavallade
• Shoemaking
• Tate McRae
• Tony Accardo
• Martha Nichols
• Ben Sommers
• Louis Horst
• John Turturro