CAROLINE PALMER, SPECIAL TO THE STAR TRIBUNE

Choreographer Karen Sherman may be the Twin Cities' answer to Emmy/Tony Awards host extraordinaire Neil Patrick Harris. On Tuesday night she emceed the 2013 Sage Awards for Dance at the Cowles Center and revealed a natural gift for keeping the show running smoothly while supplying a steady stream of wry one-liners.

Strolling to center stage with live DJ (and dancer) Greg Waletski providing a musical cue from his decks, Sherman modeled her tartan kilt ensemble and declared it a find from "Dolce and G'Savers." After making the obligatory Miley Cyrus reference ("Improvising is the new twerking") Sherman got down to the business of the evening, that is honoring all the artists who contributed to the vibrancy of the local dance community over the past 12 months.

This is the ninth year for the ceremony. Since its inception 127 panelists have seen more than 2,300 performances. The awards are named for Sage Cowles, a choreographer, performer and philanthropist who has supported dance over the years (including major funding for the Cowles Center with her late husband John). Aside from awards, the event features performances by past recipients. Last night Emily Johnson, Katie Johnson of Minnesota Dance Theatre and members of Shapiro & Smith Dance stepped into the spotlight. And the late choreographer, teacher, researcher, blogger and all-around nation dance expert John Munger was honored with a moment of silence.

This year's program had a special emphasis on dance education, with Julie Kerr-Berry, Dance Program Director, Minnesota State University, Mankato giving the opening address. She urged the audience to think about all the teachers helping others to learn to dance everywhere from public schools to suburban studios and college campuses. "Dance is a powerful medium," she said. "To dance makes us think differently about ourselves." Sage panel member Judith Howard (who teaches at Carleton College) reflected fondly on her own childhood dance teacher Miss Shirley: "She had a lot of pizzaz and a questionable reputation."

But when artist educator Florence Cobb took the stage to accept her special citation, the force of history behind Kerr-Berry's words became especially poignant. Cobb founded the Mankato program in the 1970's. Wearing biker-ready black leather pants and boots, the octogenarian accepted her award with a few wise words: "I've shared time and space and energy with all of you. And that's all it's about on this earth."

Choreographer Chris Schlichting was the big winner of the evening, scooping up two awards, both for "Matching Drapes," which premiered at Red Eye Theater in February (one for Outstanding Dance Performance and the other for Outstanding Design, shared with the team of Terrance Payne, Max Wirsing, Justin Jones, Morgan Peterson and Heidi Eckwall).

Hip hop received notice with two awards: Jason Noer for organizing the annual Groundbreaker Ballet Festival at the Cowles (Outstanding Dance Performance) while "We're Muslim, Don't Panic," featuring the cast of "Mourning in America" (Amirah Sackett, Iman Siferllah-Griffin and Khadijah Siferllah-Griffin) garnered the Outstanding Dance Ensemble Award. Choreographer Sackett (whose collaborators are both just 15 years old) honored the pioneers of hip hop – "the brown and black people of the Bronx" – but acknowledged her crew is blazing new ground in the genre. "We're three Muslim women," she said. "And that's not without controversy."

From left: Sage winners Khadija Siferllah-Griffen, Amirah Sackett and Iman Siferllah-Griffen.

Other awardees included choreographer Megan Flood for "Folding in Wings" (Outstanding Dance Performance), musician/composer Butch Thompson (Outstanding Design for "Destination Twin Cities" choreographed by Sarah LaRose-Holland), Suzanne River (Outstanding Dance Educator), and Kenna Cottman, Jim Lieberthal and Sally Rousse (all in the Outstanding Dance or Performers category) Lieberthal, a longtime performer who won for his work in "Listen" created by Rosy Simas, vowed to continue dancing. "There's always so much more to learn."

Myron Johnson and Ballet of the Dolls were nominated in the Outstanding Dance Performance category for "Venus and Adonis" and while they didn't win, the troupe and their entourage were among the best-dressed in attendance. Johnson himself sported a look somewhere between commodore and pirate. No one wears glamour and glitter like the Dolls, although past Sage award-winners Tara King, Theresa Madaus and Monica Thomas of Mad King Thomas were a close second in their sparkling gowns and feather boas.

But Sherman had the last word on the sartorial front. She came out wearing a blanket fastened together with some clips filched from backstage. "That's a wrap," she announced at the end of the show. Somewhere downtown a rimshot echoed into the night.