Meagan O'Shea receives K.M. Hunter Award

>> by Cynthia Brett
The K.M. Hunter Artist Award recipients were announced last week and Meagan O'Shea is this year's dance division honouree. The award, bestowed annually to six artists of different disciplines (dance, film/video, literature, music, theatre and visual arts), was created in 1995 to support and encourage mid-career artists in Ontario who have made an impact and shown originality in their chosen artistic field. O'Shea and five other recipients each receive $8,000 and will be honoured at Toronto's Gladstone Hotel in May.

FTA wins Grand Prix du Conseil des arts de Montréal

>> by Naomi Brand
The Festival TransAmériques (FTA) has won the twenty-eighth Grand Prix du Conseil des arts de Montréal for its work in increasing the visibility of contemporary theatre arts and dance worldwide. The jury recognized Marie-Hélène Falcon, the Festival’s executive and artistic director, for her achievements over the past thirty years. As winner of the Grand Prix, FTA will receive a bursary of $25,000. Among the finalists was BJM - Les Ballets Jazz de Montréal, which received $5,000. The prize recognizes the excellence and achievements of Montréal's artistic organizations within nine arts disciplines: circus arts, visual arts, digital arts, film and video, dance, literature, music, theatre, and new artistic practices.

VIDF presents new Choreographic Award

>> by Samantha Mehra

The Vancouver International Dance Festival (VIDF) recently announced its inaugural Choreographic Award, which recognizes (biennially) outstanding artistic achievement in choreography. On March 5th, 2013, Michelle Olson, artistic director of the Vancouver-based Raven Spirit Dance, was presented with the first award in recognition of her choreographies, which were influenced by the culture of the Yukon Territory’s Tr'ondëk Hwëch'in peoples. The VIDF, a festival that features local, national and international contemporary dance artists, ran from March 2nd through 23rd, 2013.

More: vidf.ca

Canadian awarded Prix de Lausanne 2013

Caroline Gravel and Danny Desjardins in Catherine Gaudet's Je suis un autre / Photo by Louise Leblanc

>> by Jaimée Horn
This year, event coordinators welcomed nearly 1400 people to the twenty-sixth Prix RIDEAU, held in Québec from February 17th through 21st. Among those recognized was Jacques Poulin Denis, choreographer, dancer, actor and composer, who received the PRIX RADARTS/RIDEAU, an invitation to present his work at the next FrancoFête in Acadia. Also celebrating were Cas Public's Director of Development Marc-Antoine Arrieta, recipient of the PRIX BIS-LA SCÈNE; and choreographer Catherine Gaudet. Gaudet received the PRIX LOJIQ MONDE, a $2000 award for her piece Je suis un autre. Every year Les Prix RIDEAU honour professionals from the performing arts, recognizing those who work tirelessly to make creative work accessible in our communities.

Canadian awarded Prix de Lausanne 2013

 

Cesar Corrales / Photo by Gregory Batardon, courtesy of Prix de Lausanne 

>> by Naomi Brand

Canadian Cesar Corrales has been awarded the Prix de Lausanne 2013, an international ballet competition for dancers ages fifteen through eighteen. The forty-first edition of the competition, which takes place annually in Switzerland, had seventy-five candidates and eight finalists who won scholarships to one of the twenty-eight Prix de Lausanne partner schools around the world. Corrales began dancing at age four and has performed with The Royal Winnipeg Ballet, The National Ballet of Canada, Les Grands Ballets Canadiens and played the title role in the stage show Billy Elliot. He is sixteen years old and currently lives in Montréal.

Carol Anderson receives Jubilee Medal

>> by Cynthia Brett
Carol Anderson has been awarded the Queen Elizabeth II Diamond Jubilee Medal for her outstanding contributions to the Canadian dance community in a career spanning over thirty-eight years. A founding member of Dancemakers (and artistic director from 1985 to 1988), Anderson is also a choreographer with three Dora Mavor Moore nominations under her belt, a respected teacher and a busy writer. She has written and edited several books on Canadian dance and history as well as numerous other essays and articles, including many for The Dance Current.

Quanz Awarded State Medal in Literature and the Arts

Peter Quanz / Photo by Natalia Ulanova

>> by Samantha Mehra
On February 11th, Canadian choreographer Peter Quanz will receive the State Medal in Literature and the Arts from President Vyacheslav Nagovitsyn of the Republic of Buryatia, Russia. The award, which lauds significant creations of artistic and literary work for the Republic, recognizes Quanz's collaboration with the Buryatia National Ballet for the Republic's 350-year membership in the Russian Federation. In addition to the creation of a new work, titled Dzambuling, Quanz also remounted his In Tandem, while he was in residence in Ulan-Ude, the Buryatian capital, in 2011. Anton Lubchenko, a composer who created the score to Quanz's In Colour (a 2009 work for The National Ballet of Canada), commissioned Quanz to create the award-winning work for the forty-five members of the Republic's National Ballet. The choreographer, who hails from Baden, Ontario, and is now based in Winnipeg, has international prominence as a choreographer, and is the first North American to be awarded the medal.

 

Nancy Kilgour receives Order of Canada

>> by Samantha Mehra
Nancy Kilgour, senior pedagogue at the School of Alberta Ballet, was invested into the Order of Canada in 2012 to recognize her contributions to dance in Canada as a teacher of the Cecchetti method of ballet and her fifty-year career in dance. After her early training with Betty Oliphant and Celia Franca, Kilgour taught for both the National Ballet School and the National Ballet, while also performing with the latter. In addition to being the first Canadian awarded a Canada Council grant to study educational techniques at the Bolshoi Ballet in 1967, she was one of the first Canadians to obtain the highest Cecchetti examination levels in England. Kilgour's investiture also recognizes a vast career of international teaching and professional development. In addition to teaching in China, England, Sweden and Belgium, Kilgour studied ballet education techniques at the School of American Ballet, the Kirov School in St. Petersburg, and the School of the Paris Opera. Some of her pupils include Karen Kain, Darcey Bussel and Veronica Tennant.

Aszure Barton honoured in New York

>> by Cynthia Brett
On November 16th, world-renowned choreographer Aszure Barton received the 2012 Arts and Letters Award from the Canadian Association of New York (CANY) at its annual charity ball for New York's Canadian community. The award recognizes Canadians who have made significant contributions to communities in both Canada and the United States. Proceeds from this year's ball will support students in financial need at Barton's alma mater, Canada's National Ballet School.

Randolph Academy celebrates twentieth anniversary

>> by Cynthia Brett
On October 15th Randolph Academy celebrated its twentieth anniversary with a fundraising gala in Toronto's Fairmont Royal York Concert Hall. Over 200 people, including honorary co-chair David Mirvish, attended the dinner, auction and concert featuring over 150 students, alumni and special guests. The evening also celebrated the Bathurst Street Theatre's renovations and official name change to the Randolph Theatre. Another highlight of the evening was the presentation of the inaugural Gregory Hines Performing Arts Mentorship Award to Tara Young, artistic director of Cirque du Soleil's Michael Jackson: The Immortal World Tour. The late Gregory Hines, a friend of Randolph Academy founder George Randolph since the 1970s, periodically made surprise visits to the school to teach. He is buried in Oakville, Ontario, and, once a year, Randolph and other tappers pay tribute at his grave with stories and improvisation.

I Love Dance Awards

>> by Kathleen Smith
On Sunday, October 21st, as part of the Canadian Dance Assembly’s Step in Time Conference in Ottawa, twelve awards were given out to deserving members of the Canadian dance community during a gala dinner in the Panorama Room at the National Arts Centre. With Tré Armstrong hosting, performances from Supernaturalz, Mandoline Hybride and Vanessa Shaver and presenters such as Alberta Ballet’s Jean Grand-Maître, BJM’s Jay Rankin and Les Grands Ballets’ Alain Dancyger handing out the glass statuettes, the evening was a true celebration of committed contribution.

Here are the awardees:

Organization Award – Dance Collection Danse (Toronto)
Donors Award – Jeanne Lougheed (Calgary)
CPAMO Pluralism Award – Menaka Thakkar (Toronto)
Audience Member Award – Henry Kim Wong (Vancouver)
Corporation Award – TD Bank Group
Innovation Award – Julia Taffe/Aeriosa Dance Society (Vancouver)
Seniors Award – Charmaine Headley/COBA (Toronto)
Aga Khan Museum International Award – RUBBERBANDance Group (Montréal)
Healthy Citizens Award – Erica Ross/Dance Our Way Home (Toronto)
Award for Creative Economy – École Christiane Bélanger Danse (Québec)
EnPointe Youth Award – Julia Gutsik/Luv2Groove (Ottawa)
Rosco Floors Community Award – Karen and Allen Kaeja (Toronto)

More information about the awards and conference (including posting of a number of the documents presented in Ottawa) is available at cda-acd.ca.

Inaugural Dance Awards in Toronto

>> by Brittany Duggan
On October 14th, Toronto's Young Centre for the Performing Arts celebrated the inaugural Young Centre Dance Awards. Curated by Young Centre resident artists Roberto Campanella and Andrea Nann, the awards were created to celebrate excellence, creativity, innovation, collaboration, community and spirit in Toronto as well as to increase the Young Centre’s commitment to present dance and support dance-centered activities as promised by General Director Albert Schultz on the night of the event. Nominees were invited to present work, live or by video, in Whirl, The Dance Cabaret, which took place directly before the awards ceremony. Gadfly took the award for Emerging Dance Artist, Esmeralda Enrique for Senior Dance Artist, Jon Reid for Community Dance Artist and Marie-Josée Chartier for Multidisciplinary Dance Artist. Nominees included: Jasmyn Fyffe, Cara Spooner, Anjelica Scannura, Nova Bhattacharya, Robert Glumbek, Claudia Moore, Sylvie Bouchard, Bill Coleman and  Laurence Lemieux, Lenny Dela Pena, Jacob Niedzwiecki, Heidi Strauss and William Yong. Stay tuned for more dance at Toronto's Young Centre.
More: youngcentre.ca

Arts patron Walter Carsen dies at 100

 Walter Carsen / photo courtesy of The National Ballet of Canada

>> by Naomi Brand
Described by The National Ballet of Canada as its "greatest patron", businessman and philanthropist Walter Carsen died on October 8th, 2012 at the age of 100. Carsen’s generosity is unmatched in the history of The National Ballet of Canada. He underwrote twelve productions for the company, funded tours, campaigns and led the donations for construction of the ballet’s permanent home in Toronto, named in his honour. "He helped us achieve what we wanted to do. He was an inspiration through his generosity, leadership and great enthusiasm and he was also a great friend to the company," said Artistic Director Karen Kain in a statement. In addition to his support of the ballet, he established the annual $50,000 Walter Carsen Prize for Excellence in the Performing Arts and donated to the Shaw Festival, the Art Gallery of Ontario and the United Way, among other charities.

Carsen was born in Germany and came to Canada in 1941 where he built his fortune distributing photo and optical supplies. Among his many honours, Carsen was appointed as a member of the Order of Canada in 1995 and, in 2002, was promoted to officer of the Order of Canada. “When I see a need I believe in, I want to help," said Carsen in an interview with the Toronto Star earlier this year. "Money is here to be spent. Give it where you love it and where it gives pleasure to others.”

Franca biography shortlisted for Governor General's Literary Award

>> by Naomi Brand
Author Carol Bishop-Gwyn's The Pursuit of Perfection: A Life of Celia Franca has been shortlisted for a 2012 Governor General's Literary Award for non-fiction. Bishop-Gwyn's book tells the life story of Celia Franca, founding artistic director of The National Ballet of Canada and the company's artistic director for twenty-four years. Bishop-Gwyn is also a freelance journalist who holds two graduate degrees in dance history and has taught at York University, Ryerson University and the School of Toronto Dance Theatre. The Pursuit of Perfection is the first book on Canadian dance history to be shortlisted for the award. Winners will be announced on November 13th.
More: http://ggbooks.canadacouncil.ca/en/The-Pursuit-of-Perfection-A-Life-of-Celia-Franca.aspx

Menaka Thakkar wins Walter Carsen Prize

>> by Jacqueline Hansen

Menaka Thakkar / Photo by David Hou

Indian classical dancer, choreographer and teacher Menaka Thakkar is the 2012 winner of the prestigious Walter Carsen Prize for Excellence in the Performing Arts administered by the Canada Council for the Arts. The award coincides with another major milestone for Thakkar – forty years of practicing and teaching classical Indian dance in Canada. She first gave workshops and performances in Canada in 1972 and then immigrated permanently soon after, opening her school of Indian dance, Nrtyakala, and forming the Menaka Thakkar Dance Company. A pioneer of Indian dance in Canada, Thakkar is also the first dance artist from a non-western practice to receive the Walter Carsen Prize. The Canada Council for the Arts defines the award as recognizing "the highest level of artistic excellence and distinguished career achievement by Canadian artists who have spent the major part of their career in Canada in dance, theatre or music." Thakkar and her company will perform at the award presentation on October 20th, 2012.

Sampradaya Dance Centre celebrates official opening

Lata Pada (centre) cutting the ribbon at opening ceremony

Lata Pada receiving the Queen Elizabeth II Diamond Jubilee Medal from Governor General David Johnston

>> by Samantha Mehra

On June 20th, Sampradaya Dance Creations (SDC) celebrated the official opening of its new studio and theatre space, the Sampradaya Dance Centre, in Mississauga, Ontario. At an opening ceremony in front of an audience of supporters, guest speakers Peter Caldwell (director and CEO, Ontario Arts Council), Dr. Dev Sainani (board of directors, Ontario Trillium Foundation), the Hon. Harinder Takhar (Minister of Government Services, Ontario) and Preeti Saran (Consul General of India, Toronto) offered their congratulations on this milestone moment in the company's history. The celebration also included a lamp-lighting ceremony and a performance by Sampradaya Dance Creations' dancers. In a press release, Founder and Artistic Director Lata Pada, CM, spoke of the new centre as a functional space for the South Asian dance community, stating, "We want this to be a place for the community to gather and witness the wealth of local and international talent." The new space boasts a multi-purpose studio and theatre, with retractable seating for an audience of 100. In the fall of this year, SDC will invigorate the space with the launch of its own series program, titled the Horizon Series, which aims to feature the local talents of emerging South Asian dance artists.

On June 18th, Pada, along with several other members of the dance community, was awarded the Queen Elizabeth II Diamond Jubilee Medal at a gala at Toronto's Roy Thomson Hall. The medal recognizes the significant contributions of Canadian citizens to the Canadian community; 60,000 Canadians are awarded the medal throughout the year in celebration of the sixtieth anniversary of Queen Elizabeth's coronation.

Dance awards across the country

Daelik in his own work Tempus Fugitive / Photo by Chris Randle

>> by Cynthia Brett
Toronto's Nova Bhattacharya is this year's winner in the dance division of the Victor Martyn Lynch-Staunton award, which celebrates mid-career artists. For her artistic achievement, Bhattacharya received $15,000. Meanwhile Patrick Lavoie, first soloist for The National Ballet of Canada, has won the David Tory Award recognizing his many positive qualities. He received $2,500 in memory of David Tory, former vice-chair of the company's board of directors. Tap dancer Danny Nielsen, from Edmonton, was awarded the third annual Santa Aloi Award, given to help choreographers create new works. The $4,500 he received will contribute to a new full-length work he is co-producing with the Vancouver International Tap Festival this fall. This year Dance Victoria announced two winners for its second annual Chrystal Dance Prize of $14,000; Tessa Charlesworth, an emerging artist from Victoria, receives $4,000, and Vancouver's Daelik receives $10,000. In Toronto, Harbourfront Centre's Next Steps and the Chimera Project announced that Toronto-based dance artist Angelica Scannura won both the Paula Citron FRESH BLOOD Award and an Audience Choice Award for her work After the Fall. Finally, Neighbourhood Dance Works recently announced a new annual award for a Newfoundland/Labrador dance artist (or artist collaborating with a dance artist). The Roberta Thomas Legacy Award will fund up to $1,000 for a project to be presented at the Festival of New Dance each year. Applications are due July 31st.

Gohs receive lifetime achievement award

>> by Cynthia Brett

On February 25th, Choo Chiat Goh and Lin Yee Goh, co-founders of The Goh Ballet Academy, received a Lifetime Achievement Award from S.U.C.C.E.S.S., a social service organization for new immigrants in British Columbia. S.U.C.C.E.S.S. gives the award annually to celebrate the achievements of immigrants. As part of the honour, the Gohs performed for over 700 people at the Bridge to S.U.C.C.E.S.S. Gala, which raised $475,000 for the organization.

Dance Communities Across Canada Celebrate Multiple Awards of Excellence

Hélène Langevin's L’atelier/The Studio / Photo: Hélène Langevin

>> by Jaimée Horn
Montréal company Bouge de là received the Prix RIDEAU Touring Award for its work L’atelier/The Studio, during the Bourse RIDEAU gala on February 16th. The award distinguishes an arts company for successful audience development and promotional activities throughout the tour of one of its shows. L’atelier/The Studio combines dance with visual art, and has been acclaimed by more than 105 audiences across Québec and Toronto ... Crystal Pite internationally renowned BC choreographer and artistic director of Kidd Pivot Frankfurt RM, was presented with the inaugural Lola Award on March 1st. The $10,000 grant that will fund Pite’s next research period, was created in memory of beloved choreographer Lola MacLaughlin, supporting the work of mid-career and established choreographers with hopes of contributing to the growth of a Vancouver aesthetic abroad ... Principal dancers Guillaume Côté and Jillian Vanstone of The National Ballet of Canada are being recognized for contributions to dance and culture. Côté, born in Lac-Saint-Jean, Québec, received the Medal of the National Assembly of Québec on February 28th. Vanstone, from Nanaimo, BC, will receive the Excellence in Culture Award from the City of Nanaimo on March 28th.

Miriam Adams appointed to Order of Canada

Miriam Adams / Photo by Cylla von Tiedemann

>> by Cynthia Brett

Miriam Adams, Co-Founder/Director of Dance Collection Danse (DCD), was recently appointed to the Order of Canada for her contribution to Canadian dance history. Adams and her late husband Lawrence, both former dancers of The National Ballet of Canada, founded 15 Dance Lab in the 1970s and published magazines such as SPILL and Canadian Dance News. The Adamses' commitment to preserve Canadian dance was foreshadowed by the establishment of Visus Foundation in 1974, to videotape dance in Canada. They created DCD, Canada's national dance archives and publishing house, in 1986.
www.dcd.ca