1, 2, now 3!

PC: Ken Blaze

Abrepaso’s Director & Founder Alice Lawhorn receives her 3rd Individual Excellence Award from the Ohio Arts Council for Choreography

The Ohio Arts Council announced their 2026 Individual Excellence Awardees last week - and at the top of the list is founder/director Alice Lawhorn. This is her 3rd such award, receiving awards in 2020 and 2022 as well.

The IEA program recognizes outstanding accomplishments by artists in a variety of disciplines. Funding recommendations for IEA are made through an anonymous, open panel review process focused on the exceptional merit of past artistic work.

This round, Alice submitted a contemporary dance work she set on students at Wayne State University to the music of Enrique Morente’s Omega titled “Refracted Condensations” as well as a solo piece with original music by Carolina Borja titled “Caminando.” She received the highest score of this year’s submissions. Here’s some of what the committee said about the works:

-rooted flamenco-based technique with exquisite physical specificity

-hybridity feels purposeful, expanding the form’s expressive range

-strong translation of flamenco qualities onto non-flamenco bodies

-sustained collaboration with musicians strengthens the choreographic world

You can read the full press release from the OAC here:

https://oac.ohio.gov/wps/portal/gov/art/home/news-and-events/all-news/iea-fy-2026

We are so grateful for the many ways the state of Ohio supports the arts, through these grants as well as the project and operating grants Abrepaso has received from the OAC over the years.