Jay Rankin appointed Executive Director of Ballet BC

>> by Cynthia Brett
After nine seasons as managing director of Toronto Dance Theatre (TDT), Jay Rankin is resigning to join Ballet British Columbia as permanent executive director beginning November 1st, 2009. Ballet BC's board commented in a press release that they are delighted to welcome Rankin who has served non-profit arts organizations for more than thirty years. A TDT-issued press release states that since Rankin joined the company in 2000, he has refreshed TDT's touring presence across North America and Europe, implemented a multi-year professional development program, and increased the company's working capital reserve while reducing its deficit. Before joining TDT, Rankin worked in Vancouver for Karen Jamieson Dance Company and Full Circle: First Nations Peformance, among other groups. He said in a press release that he looks forward to returning to the west coast. TDT is now seeking a new managing director.

New school premises for LADMMI

>> by Natasha Frid
Les Ateliers de danse moderne de Montréal inc. (LADMMI) is now on the path to receiving a brand new home. Montreal city council decided on September 21st, 2009 to sell the vacant lot surrounding the St-Laurent subway station to the Angus Development Society, which plans to build a cultural centre. LADMMI will be located on the top floor of the new building and its space will include large studios, a gym, student services areas, a library and a laboratory studio that will replicate a theatre space. LADMMI’s current building on rue Sainte-Catherine Ouest will no longer be used once the move is complete. The project is slated to finish by fall 2011 and will also include professional training schools for digital photography, jewellery craft and the Cinema Parallèle.

Judith Marcuse wins Jacqueline Lemieux Prize

>> by Naomi Brand
Vancouver artistic director, producer and choreographer Judith Marcuse has been awarded the 2009 Jacqueline Lemieux Prize. The prize, valued at $6,000, is awarded annually to the most deserving applicant in the Canada Council Grants to Dance Professionals program. The prize is awarded in memory of Jacqueline Lemieux and her contribution to Canadian dance. Marcuse was chosen by a peer assessment committee consisting of Carol Anderson (Toronto), Margaret Grenier (Vancouver) and Kenneth Roy (Montreal). Judith Marcuse has had a distinguished international career as a dancer, choreographer, teacher, director and producer in dance, theatre, opera, television and film. At the core of her work is a commitment to the marriage of artistic excellence and social relevance and a passion to integrate art into community life. Marcuse is the founder and co-director of the International Centre of Art for Social Change (ICASC) at Simon Fraser University, a global hub for networking, training, professional development, research and community outreach in the field of art for social change (www.icasc.ca).

Senior Artists' Research Project looking for input

>> by Naomi Brand
The Senior Artists’ Research Project is looking for input from artists 60 years old and over from all disciplines. The research project is initiated by a steering committee of Canadian arts organizations that includes representation from actors, dancers, musicians, directors, visual artists and writers. The group is launching the first-ever assessment of the situation and needs of senior artists in Canada. Senior artists are invited to participate in an online survey and “town hall” discussions being held across the country about their needs and interests in areas such as artistic activity, health care, housing, retirement, financial issues, community connections and social networks. The research is being conducted by Hill Strategies Research. The information gathered will be used to improve current services and establish new services that best meet artists’ needs and interests. Up-to-date information on town hall meetings can be found at http://www.hillstrategies.com/resources_details.php?resUID=1000320 and surveys of the situation and needs of senior artists are available at http://www.seniorartists.ca/.

University Celebrates 100 Years of Dance

>> by Christa Lochead
In June 2009, the University of Michigan presented “Dancing at 100: Celebrating a Century of Dance.” The five-day event included a public lecture by York University Professor Emerita Dr. Selma Odom entitled "The Dance Knowledge Expansion: Generations of Research and Teaching." One of the earliest universities in North America to include dance in a curriculum, the University of Michigan first offered “Aesthetic Dancing” through the Department of Physical Education for Women in 1909.

Patrick Swayze Dies at Age 57

>> by Naomi Brand

Actor, dancer and singer songwriter Patrick Swayze died on September 14, 2009 at age fifty-seven. Swayze was best known for his role as romantic dance instructor Johnny Castle in the 1987 film Dirty Dancing. He had been battling pancreatic cancer for twenty months.

Community-minded movement school opens in Toronto

>> by Naomi Brand
Professional dance educator and scholar Ann-Marie Williams opened a new community-minded movement school in the Leslieville neighbourhood of Toronto this fall. The Movement Lab brings together private and public dance education. The school offers after-school dance classes for both children and adults with profits going to the Movement Outreach Lab Program – a free learning-through-movement program for public schools and non-profit community groups. Williams has worked with the CanDance network and Dance Ontario and has been teaching in universities, schools and studios for over a decade.
www.movementlab.ca

BC artists set to rally

>> by Amy Bowring
The dance community of Vancouver will join artists of other disciplines for a rally in protest of recent funding cuts announced by the BC government on September 1st. Artists are asked to meet at the Scotiabank Dance Centre at 11:30am on Wednesday, September 9th. The group will then walk to Robson Square to join other artists for a rally at 12:00pm. Participants are asked to dress in grey to represent what a community without art looks like; the group will stand in a silent grey square for thirty minutes. More: http://www.hs.facebook.com/event.php?eid=129465534210.

BC artists facing unprecedented funding cuts

>> by Amy Bowring
When the BC provincial budget update was announced on September 1st, artists discovered that they were facing another round of cuts. BC MLA and NDP Culture Critic Spencer Herbert stated in a newsletter to his supporters that he estimates the cut to arts and culture to be 92 percent. He writes, “The BC Liberal’s are cutting arts and culture funding from approximately 47.8 million in 2008/09 down to 3.7 million in 2010/11.” Previously, the government had also frozen multi-year Direct Access gaming grants but has now reinstated this source of funding. The budget update has been surrounded by much confusion and details are still emerging as artists rally to find ways to cope with the situation. Tourism, Culture and the Arts Minister Kevin Krueger has so far been unavailable for comment.

Ride out economic storm says report

>> by Naomi Brand
Canada's Performing Arts Alliance released its report last week entitled Our Fiscal Performance, which summarizes the findings of its survey conducted in May 2009. The report examines the financial impact of the current economic downturn on orchestras, operas, theatres and dance companies. While the survey found that 51% of performing arts organizations were forecasting that they would break even or have a surplus this year, 47% report that the forecast is worse than they originally budgeted. As a result, organizations were taking such steps as reducing or freezing salaries (52%), reducing travel (37%) and reducing the number of productions/programs (27%). Eighty-nine performing arts organizations from across Canada participated in the survey. Three follow-up surveys are planned over the next year to track trends and changes to come.

MOTUS O receives $310,000 grant

>> by Cynthia Brett
MOTUS O dance theatre announced that they have been awarded a $310,000 grant from the Ontario Trillium Foundation. Located in Stouffville ON, the company will use the five-year partnership grant to foster the arts community in the York region by incorporating a variety of artists and local groups into its productions of Perspectives and A Christmas Carol. MOTUS O is an international touring company that has been fusing dance, theatre, film and music to create works of pathos and comedy since its inception in 1990.

Canada Council welcomes back Bernard Sauvé

>> by Naomi Brand
In July, Bernard Sauvé returned to the Dance Section at the Canada Council for the Arts as a programs officer; he was previously a programs officer from October 2006 to March 2007. Sauvé has been active in the dance sector for twenty-three years first as a dancer with Ballet British Columbia, among other companies, then in arts management. He is the co-founder of Eponymous Productions and Management Inc., and worked with The Holy Body Tattoo, Lola Dance, Kidd Pivot, Wen Wei Dance, Dance House and others. Sauvé will be responsible for the council's dissemination programs and the Grants to Dance Professionals program.