The Bainbridge Island Arts and Humanities Council announces performing artist Vincent Palazzolo-Packard as the winner of the sixth annual Amy Award for emerging artists. Palazzolo-Packard, selected by Bainbridge Performing Arts, is a young emerging performing artist who has exhibited a sense of quality, creativity, exploration, and dedication in his field. Other criteria for the award are that the nominees are under 35 years of age and have been residents of Bainbridge Island for a minimum of three years.

Palazzolo-Packard has been a force in the island's performing arts community from a very young age. He has choreographed, performed, directed, and appeared in a wide variety of local and regional productions over the past five years. He was a performer with the local swing dance group, The Swingin' Hep Cat, and was unforgettable as one of the gods in the Bainbridge High School production of Joe Bean in 2003. He was invited to perform with a select group of Seattle teens in Pacific Northwest Ballet's summer co-production of Dance this with The Joffrey Ballet.

Palazzolo was choreographer for the BHS production Jesus Christ Superstar in 2004 and reappeared in the professional production of Joe Bean: The Rock Opera. He joined forces with other island teens to choreograph and produce the original production This Is Now… in the spring of 2005, followed by his work as choreographer and dancer in the BHS production of West Side Story.

Vince Palazzolo-Packard as "The Suicide God" in the 2004 production of Joe Bean at The Playhouse. Photo: Steve Stolee