Nova Scotia arts organizations attend APAP

>> by Cynthia Brett
For the first time, Nova Scotia representatives were among fifteen Canadian delegates supported by the Canada Council for the Arts to attend the 2010 Association of Performing Arts Presenters (APAP) in New York City. Mocean Dance, Strategic Arts Management, Music Nova Scotia, 2B Theatre and Cultural Affairs Consulting & Promotion attended the performing arts networking conference from January 8th through 11th where they participated in professional development workshops while networking with colleagues and promoting Canadian performing arts. Their travel was funded by Nova Scotia Tourism, Culture & Heritage with support from the Canada Council in terms of mentorship and registration fees.
www.canadacouncil.ca
www.artspresenters.org

Tantoo Cardinal receives the Order of Canada

>> by Brittany Duggan
Vancouver actress Tantoo Cardinal was recently made a Member of the Order of Canada, one of the country’s highest civilian honours. The announcement, released on December 30th, 2009, by the Rt. Honourable Michaëlle Jean, Governor General of Canada, recognizes Cardinal for her contributions to the growth and development of Aboriginal performing arts in Canada. As a screen and stage actress, Cardinal has been a role model for Aboriginal performers throughout the country and in 2007/08 she joined Kaha:wi Dance Theatre for its production of A Story Before Time, originating the role of "Kateri". Recipients of the Order of Canada, who are acknowledged for their outstanding achievements and dedication to the community, will be invited to a ceremony at a date yet to be announced.

Older & Reckless Halifax

>> by Brittany Duggan
Halifax will soon present its own version of “Older and Reckless”, an informal performance series showcasing some of Canada’s most celebrated senior choreographers. Originally conceived over ten years ago by Toronto's Claudia Moore, artistic director of MOonhoRsE Dance Theatre, Older and Reckless, according to the Dance Umbrella of Ontario website, features “work from older artists who continue to grow more reckless as time goes by.” For this series, Atlantic Canada’s Live Art Dance Productions has invited choreographers Penny Evans Spicer, Sheilagh Hunt, Veronique MacKenzie, Louise Mussett and Gwen Noah. Moore will join the series as facilitator and outside eye. The event, which runs from March 25th–27th, 2010 at The Bus Stop Theatre, includes public workshops, critical dialogue, performances and a party. http://www.liveartproductions.ca

Father of Canadian ballet commemorated with historic plaque

>> by Brittany Duggan
Heritage Toronto commemorated Boris Volkoff, the Canadian ballet pioneer, on December 12th with the presentation of an historic plaque at the Toronto Reference Library. A Russian-born ballet teacher and choreographer, Volkoff was instrumental in developing an audience for ballet in Toronto and Canada beginning in the 1930s. Volkoff sought to cultivate and educate the public’s appreciation for the fine arts. He did this through both the works he choreographed for his Volkoff Canadian Ballet and the ice ballets he did for the Toronto Skating Club. He brought his group of dancers to perform at the cultural festival at the 1936 Olympics in Berlin, and was one of the co-founders of the Canadian Ballet Festivals in 1948. A year before his death in 1974, Volkoff was appointed as a Member of the Order of Canada for his pioneer work in the field. The plaque in honour of his memory was supported by the Boris Volkoff Reunion Committee and Heritage Toronto and will be installed on the building at 771 Yonge Street, the former site of Volkoff’s studio, in the spring of 2010.

Canadian dance film wins international video award

>> by Cynthia Brett

The Greater the Weight, a dance film produced and directed by Mouvement Perpétuel's Marlene Millar and Phillip Szporer and featuring dancer/choreographer Dana Michel, received a jury award for best female performance at the first InShadow – International Festival of Video, Performance and Technology. Over sixty films from twenty-four countries were entered in the InShadow Festival, which took place from November 24th-26th, 2009 at the Sao Luiz Municipal Theatre in Lisbon, Portugal. The festival aims to raise awareness about the interdisciplinary connection between the body and new technologies. Mouvement Perpétuel is a video production company that specializes in arts documentaries.
www.mouvementperpetuel.net
www.inshadowfestival.blogspot.com

Tammy Forsythe receives 2009 Victor Martyn Lynch-Staunton Award for dance

>> by Cynthia Brett
In November 2009, multi-media choreographer Tammy Forsythe received the Victor Martyn Lynch-Staunton Award for dance. The award, worth $15,000, is one of seven bestowed annually by the Canada Council for the Arts to outstanding mid-career artists in each of the seven disciplines that the Canada Council funds. Forsythe founded her company, Tusketdance, in 1996 and in 2003 her piece, The Backtrack, won the third Prix du public at the Festival international de nouvelle danse. She is currently working on a new group work, Golpe, a co-production with Festival TransAmeriques and L'Agora de la danse, which will premiere in Montréal in May 2010. www.tusketdance.com

ESBCM renames library to honour Vincent Warren

>> by Cynthia Brett

The École supérieure de ballet contemporain de Montréal (ESBCM) is renaming its library to Bibliolthèque de la danse Vincent-Warren in April 2010 to honour Warren's contributions to the school's history. In a press release, ESBCM called Warren, "the defender, the promoter ... the very soul of the Bibliothèque de la danse," which holds over 25,000 documents. "Because I am passionate about dance history and am an insatiable collector, my enthusiasm for the library project in 1979 was immediate and I therefore dedicated all of my free time to it. Forty years later, I am told that it will bear my name. I am enormously moved, touched and sincerely very pleased to be recognized in this way," commented Warren. Before teaching dance history at ESBCM, Warren danced for Les Grands Ballets Canadiens de Montréal, Le Groupe de la Place Royale, Théâtre-Français de la Danse, The Metropolitan Opera Ballet and Opera de Cologne. Warren will also be honoured with a tribute luncheon in June 2010 by the Society for Canadian Dance Studies at its conference in Ottawa. http://www.esbcm.org/

New producing director at Dancemakers

>> by Brittany Duggan
Jeanne Holmes, former dance programmer at Harbourfront Centre, is the new producing director for Toronto’s Dancemakers and the Centre for Creation. The announcement from Clive Veroni, Dancemakers' board chair, describes Holmes as being “one of the leading dance administrators in the country”. With twenty years of experience in the cultural sector, Holmes has been the company manger for two editions of the Canada Dance Festival and has acted as chair for both Dusk Dances and the CanDance Network of Canadian dance presenters. “I am thrilled to be joining Dancemakers. Under the artistic direction of Michael Trent, the Company and Centre are breaking new ground in contemporary dance and performance and I am excited to bring my passion and energy to this collaborative and exceptionally creative team”, says Holmes. Working collaboratively with Trent, the artistic and administrative teams as well as with the board of directors, Holmes will assume her new responsibilities this month.