2007 Movado Future Legends Awards

[Helene]

From PR Newswire -- thanks to TutuMaker

NEW YORK, Oct. 18 /PRNewswire/ -- Movado is proud to announce the second year of the Movado Future Legends program, a unique initiative that is helping to nurture a future generation of artists with exceptional abilities and commitment to their craft. This year, three of this country's most prestigious arts institutions were invited to identify a Movado Future Legend - an individual still studying, but undoubtedly on the path to becoming a major force in his or her field. Recipients of the 2007 awards are:

Design team Doshi Levien selected by Cooper-Hewitt, National Design Museum, dancer Kirk Henning selected by The Suzanne Farrell Ballet on behalf of The Kennedy Center, and dancer Doug Letheren selected by the Baryshnikov Arts Center.

(Logo: http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20071018/NYTH013LOGO)

Cooper-Hewitt Director Paul Warwick Thompson, in conjunction with the curatorial staff, selected the London-based design studio Doshi Levien to receive the 2007 Movado Future Legends Award. Founded in 2000 by designers Nipa Doshi and Jonathan Levien, the studio's defining goal is to bring together the designers' distinct yet complementary cultural approach to their work. While Levien brings a European approach to design, Doshi's work is strongly influenced by her Indian upbringing. Doshi Levien's work explores the "unity of opposites" by combining the handmade, the unique, and the symbolic with the machine-made, the industrial, and the mass-manufactured. Doshi formed her strong graphic sensibility while attending India's National Institute of Design in Ahmedabad, founded in 1961 by the Indian government, and based on a remarkable program commissioned by Charles and Ray Eames who continue to exert an influence on the designer. Doshi and Levien met while attending England's Royal College of Art and set up their studio soon after graduating.

On behalf of The John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts, Suzanne Farrell chose dancer Kirk Henning as a 2007 Movado Future Legends Award recipient. Henning is currently performing with The Suzanne Farrell Ballet, the Center's own ballet company. Kirk, the second of six children, grew up in Momence, Illinois. At 17, he began his ballet training in the west suburbs of Chicago with Watmora Casey and Avnun Yakabov. In 2000, Kirk joined the Dayton Ballet in Dayton, Ohio, where he enjoyed performing a variety of works including the title roles in Peter Pan, Hamlet and Trinity. He won the 2003 Josie Award for most outstanding performer in the Dayton area. In 2004 Kirk moved to Richmond, Virginia, and joined the Richmond Ballet performing multiple contemporary roles including Peasant Pas in Giselle and Prince Florimund in Sleeping Beauty. Kirk was very excited to joined The Suzanne Farrell Ballet in 2006. Kirk is currently a corps de ballet member with The Suzanne Farrell Ballet and will appear in the company's Kennedy Center Opera House engagement, November 20-25, 2007.

Mikhail Baryshnikov selected Doug Letheren to receive this year's Movado Future Legends Award. Doug Letheren was born and raised in New Hampshire, where he trained in dance at St. Paul's School under Richard Rein and Rebecca Wright. He studied at the Conservatoire Nationale de la Region in Rennes, France in 2001, and went on to complete his studies at the Julliard School. Working with Aszure Barton since 2005, he has participated in a number of projects including a creative collaboration in Kenya, and a world premier with Les Ballets Jazz de Montreal. In summer 2006 and 2007, Letheren toured internationally with Hell's KitchenDance, a company formed to showcase work created at Baryshnikov Arts Center. This past summer, he and his classmates received a grant from Julliard to bring the New York Company, Public Dance Theatre, on a 4-city teaching and performing tour of Peru.

The 2007 Future Legends recipients will each receive a crystal award designed with two interlocking circles, symbolizing individual artistic commitment and Movado's dedication to supporting new talent. Each recipient will also receive a $10,000 grant to support his/their artistic efforts, and each artist will be presented a Movado watch. On October 24, 2007, Movado will host an exclusive event at Cooper-Hewitt to celebrate "60 Years of Modern Design," and to honor the artistry of the selected recipients who are now on the road to becoming legends.

Movado is proud of its longtime association with the arts. Three organizations that Movado is extremely proud to support include Cooper-Hewitt, National Design Museum; The Kennedy Center, where Movado is the official watch; and the Baryshnikov Arts Center.

Cooper-Hewitt, National Design Museum is the only museum in the nation devoted exclusively to historic and contemporary design. The Museum presents compelling perspectives on the impact of design on daily life through active educational and curatorial programming. It is the mission of Cooper-Hewitt's staff and Board of Trustees to advance the public understanding of design across the twenty-four centuries of human creativity represented by the Museum's collection.

The John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts, located on 17 acres overlooking the Potomac River in Washington, D.C., is America's living memorial to President Kennedy. The Kennedy Center, now in its 37th season, presents the greatest performers and performances of music, dance and theater; supports artists in the creation of new work; and serves the nation as a leader in arts education. The Suzanne Farrell Ballet made its debut during the Kennedy Center's Balanchine Celebration in the fall of 2000. Since its inception the Farrell Ballet has been presented annually at the Kennedy Center in addition to domestic and international touring.

The Baryshnikov Arts Center (BAC) opened its doors in New York City (Hell's Kitchen) in November 2005. BAC is a center for artistic experimentation and collaboration that serves as a creative laboratory, meeting place, and performance space for a vibrant community of artists from around the world and across disciplines. Core activities include artist residencies, student fellowships, commissions of new work, and arts presentations.