The Princess Grace Foundation-USA awarded Dance Professor Crystal Michelle Perkins with the 2021 Princess Grace Honoraria Award for Choreography. She was nominated by South Chicago Dance Theater and their Founder/Director Kia Smith for a new work she made for them last fall called Lit-anies. Professor Perkins plans to rework the piece into a live performance premier for the company's spring Gala in May 2022. 

“It is an honor to welcome and celebrate the 2021 Princess Grace Award winners, who represent some of the nation’s most outstanding emerging performing artists," says CEO of the Princess Grace Foundation-USA Brisa Carleton. "Each year, the Princess Grace Foundation convenes panelists to serve for the Princess Grace Awards selection process. For nearly 40 years, we have been proud to work with some of the most talented and forward-thinking professionals and luminaries to help us identify promising emerging talent. Thanks to these dedicated panelists, we’ve had the pleasure of seeing many of our Princess Grace Award winners go on to have prosperous and distinguished careers. We are truly delighted to welcome this new class of extraordinary artists and we will look forward to supporting them throughout their artistic journeys.”