Rita Mustaphi Wins Prestigious Ernie Award
We’re excited to announce that KDT Founder and Artistic Director Rita Mustaphi has been named the 2025 winner of Dance/USA‘s prestigious Ernie Award.
As they put it, “The ‘Ernie’ Award is given to an individual working ‘behind the scenes’ within the infrastructure of the national dance community, who has demonstrated extraordinary leadership, outstanding value in the ecosystem, and whose achievements have influenced and significantly advanced the work of artists and supported their creativity.”
Rita joins a small group of winners for the organization’s 2025 awards, which “have been given to extraordinary leaders in the dance ecosystem, both artists and administrators, over the past thirty years.” The awards will be formally presented at Dance/USA’s national conference on June 17 in Chicago.
Please join us in congratulating Rita Mustaphi on this monumental achievement!
Bio: Rita Mustaphi was born and raised in Kolkata, India. She is a choreographer, dancer and an educator in the Kathak style of Indian classical dance. In 1987, she co-founded Katha Dance Theatre, a professional Kathak dance company and school. She has served as KDT’s artistic director for the past 38 years. Rita graduated from the University of Calcutta with a degree in Physiology and from Rabindra Bharati University with a major in Dance. Later, Rita had the privilege of learning Kathak dance from the legendary Padma Vibhushan Pandit Birju Maharaj, her guru in Delhi, India.
Rita is known for her visionary approach and innovations in Kathak dance; her multi-disciplinary productions incorporating spoken word, live and commissioned music; and her utilization of multimedia production elements.
She is a recipient of four McKnight Fellowships (2023, 1998, 1992,
1988) for choreography. Apart from her 2025 Ernie Award, she has received a Leadership award from the Council of Asian Pacific Minnesotans, Nari Shakti Award by Govt. of India for her work in empowering women, a Lifetime Achievement award from the India Association of Minnesota, an Education award from the Ordway Center for the Performing Arts in the category of Excellence in Vision.
The full list of winners is as follows:
Dance/USA Honor Award: Stoner Winslett
Founding Artistic Director, Richmond Ballet
Dance/USA Ernie Award: Rita Mustaphi
Artistic Director, Katha Dance Theatre
Dance/USA Trustees Award: National Dance Project
a program of New England Foundation for the Arts
Dance/USA Champion Award: Joel Hall
Artistic Director Emeritus, Joel Hall Dancers & Center
Dance/USA Emerging Leader Award: Jessica Leyva
Executive Director, Chicago Dance Crash
Dance/USA Emerging Leader Award:Â Jonathan Pacheco
Company Dancer, Ensemble Español Spanish Dance Theater and Executive Office and Campaign Manager, Steppenwolf Theatre Company
The ‘Ernie’ Award is named for the late dancer, choreographer, director, AIDS activist, and dance champion Ian ‘Ernie’ Horvath, in recognition of his important role in dance history and his passionate commitment to growing and strengthening the national dance community.
Dance/USA is the national service organization for dance, serving a broad cross-section of the dance field. Established in 1982, Dance/USA champions an inclusive and equitable dance field by leading, convening, advocating, and supporting individuals and organizations.”