Judith Howard, Associate Professor of Dance and Chair of the Theater and Dance, was honored with a SAGE Award for Dance. She competed against three other nominees for the the Outstanding Dance Educator award, which is given to a dance educator/teacher for their commitment and accomplishment in the field of dance education. Howard had been nominated three times in the category and won a previous SAGE award for outstanding performance in 2006.

Since 2005, the Minnesota SAGE Awards have been presented annually to honor choreographers, dancers, educators, presenters, scenic and lighting designers, visual artists and others who continue to make the Twin Cities a national center of dance. This important celebration and recognition for local artists is named in honor of Sage Cowles, a choreographer, performer, and philanthropist who died earlier this year. An anonymous group of peer panelists selects the recipients based on work presented during the past year. This year, the awards were presented at the Cowles Center in Minneapolis, MN on October 14.