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TV icon Dick Van Dyke, country singer Garth Brooks, and choreographer Debbie Allen were three of the artists who are being celebrated by the Kennedy Center Honors for their lifetime of contributions to American culture.
The trio, along with folk-music singer Joan Baez and violinist Midori, were honoured Friday night at the Kennedy Center in Washington, DC. The group is the 43rd class inducted into the rarified pantheon of performing arts legends.
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— Paul Morigi/Getty Images
— Paul Morigi/Getty Images
— Paul Morigi/Getty Images
— Paul Morigi/Getty Images
— Paul Morigi/Getty Images
— Paul Morigi/Getty Images
This year’s honourees were supposed to be honoured last year but the Covid-19 pandemic delayed the ceremony. Friday’s event was a slimmed down version of the typically packed event owing to the ongoing global health crisis.
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“Many years ago, I was the host of a similar event held, as I recall, in private with the Kennedy family,” Van Dyke said in a previously released statement about the honour. “I saw the care with which the recipient was chosen from an impressive list of nominees. Since the creation of the Kennedy Center Honors, just over 200 have been honored with equal care. Being included in that small, illustrious group, is the thrill of my life.”
The honourees all met with President Joe Biden on Thursday at The White House.
The 2021 Kennedy Center Honors, hosted by Gloria Estefan, will air on June 6 on CBS.
The event will also be available to stream on demand on the CBS app and Paramount+.