A Fringe-y dancing contest

You don't exactly vote someone off the island, but this is not another Live Arts/Fringe reality-show spoof. The A.W.A.R.D. Show! (Artists With Audiences Responding to Dance) is the real thing. As on Project Runway, someone walks away with a cash prize "furnished by" a corporate sponsor - in this case, the Boeing Co. And like Top Chef Masters, it features initial rounds with four local choreographers each, one of whom wins $1,000 and moves ahead. On the final night, the ante is upped to $10,000.

Tuesday's first round featured contestants you might recognize. There was the one Live Arts/Fringers know well - Kate Watson-Wallace, who presented an excerpt from Store, which she performed earlier in the festival.

There was the one who tried something rather risky with so much on the line: Kathryn TeBordo, who in the post-performance talkback said she was exploring "micro-movement" - motion so infinitesimal it could barely be discerned in her You Ain't Gonna Get Glory If That's What You Came Here For.

Then there was the one who took the old stalwart "Over the Rainbow" and turned it into something special. That was Jenn Rose, with her modern dance-and-tap piece Way Up High.

And we had the polished package, the "Adam Lambert" who seemed like a shoo-in. That was Jumatatu Poe, whose multimedia Alibi was a psychological mystery.

But before the votes were tallied - in fact, even before the lights had gone up - I knew who would win. Rose had the most friends and fans in the audience, and the applause was deafening before her quartet of dancers even took the stage.

I was right, but there was no $1,000 check and tumultuous celebration at the end of the evening - results were posted on the festival's Web site the next morning. (Saturday night's winner, however, will be announced from the stage.)

The A.W.A.R.D. Show! started at New York's Joyce Theater in 2006 and has expanded to Chicago, Seattle, and Philly. It's a fun package, featuring different dance styles, dialogue with the choreographers, and a little excitement.

For more information on shows, go to www.livearts-fringe.org or call 215-413-1318. EndText