Clifford Collier (1929-2011)

Cliff Collier, c. 1946 / Photo by Page Toles / Photo courtesy of Dance Collection Danse

>> by Amy Bowring
Dancer and archivist Clifford Collier died in Toronto on February 21st of cancer. Collier started dancing in 1947 with Boris Volkoff in Toronto and performed with the Volkoff Canadian Ballet, including several appearances at the Canadian Ballet Festivals. He left the Volkoff studio in 1952 and studied for a short period with Willy Blok Hanson performing with the Willy Blok Hanson Trio on television. He also spent time in Ottawa where he performed with Nesta Toumine’s Ottawa Classical Ballet. In 1953, Collier moved to Montréal where he danced in television productions choreographed by Brian Macdonald, Heino Heiden and Elizabeth Leese. After sustaining an injury, he returned to Toronto where he began to teach, first with Janet Baldwin and then Gladys Forrester. In 1960, he began to choreograph and stage high school productions of Broadway shows for several Toronto schools. Collier entered the dance program at York University when it opened in 1971. He then devoted his energies to research and the development of archival resources pursuing a Masters of Library and Information Science at the University of Western Ontario. Collier developed a descriptor thesaurus for the archival software Canadian Integrated Dance Database produced by Dance Collection Danse and spent many years working with the Ontario Genealogical Society and the Lesbian and Gay Archives. A memorial will be held on March 19th at 2pm at the Canadian Lesbian and Gay Archives.

David Rimmer wins Governor General's award

>> by Brittany Duggan
Experimental filmmaker David Rimmer is among the recipients of the 2011 Governor General’s Awards in Visual and Media Arts. Rimmer is notable for his collaborations with dance artist and fellow filmmaker Yvonne Rainer in the 1970s and with Canadians Paula Ross and Karen Jamieson in the 1980s. Among his dance films are Ross' Coming Together and Jamieson's Sisyphus. Based in Vancouver, Rimmer is internationally acclaimed for his contemplative films and is described by the Canada Council as being “one of the finest technicians of Canada’s avant-garde film movement”. He, along with the other recipients of this year’s Governor General’s Awards, will receive a $25,000 prize and a special issue medallion designed by the Canadian Heraldic Authority at the Chancellery of Honours and produced by the Royal Canadian Mint. The medallion will be unveiled on March 23rd during a ceremony at Rideau Hall. The complete list of artists can be found on the Canada Council for Arts website: www.canadacouncil.ca

Shine Gala: A shining success

Shine Gala dancers / Photos by George Pimentel

>> by Jacqueline Hansen
The Shine Fundraising Gala held by Canada’s National Ballet School (NBS) on February 5th, sought to shine the spotlight on NBS. Current NBS students performed several works, highlighting the night’s themes of the beauty of dance, the talent and determination required to succeed, and NBS’ role as a leading training institution in Canada. Over $800,000 was raised, which NBS says will be used to maintain its policy of “talent being the sole criterion for acceptance into the School’s Professional Ballet Program.”

Glenn Gilmour (1938-2011)

Glenn Gilmour / Photo by Jeannette Edissi Collins

>> by Jacqueline Hansen
Long-time National Ballet School (NBS) teacher Glenn Gilmour died on February 5th, 2011 in Toronto at the age of 72. A native of Windsor, Ontario, Gilmour began what would end up being a lifelong career in ballet at the Renee Russell School of Dance. On scholarship, Gilmour travelled to Toronto to train with Betty Oliphant and Celia Franca in 1958, the year prior to the founding of the National Ballet School. That same year, Gilmour joined The National Ballet of Canada, where he was later promoted to principal dancer. Gilmour also danced abroad, training and performing in England with Ballet Rambert and the London Ballet. Upon retiring as a dancer, and after completing NBS’ Teacher Training Program in 1972, Gilmour continued to share his passion for ballet as a teacher. "Mr. Gilmour", as he was known, taught for over four decades at Canada’s National Ballet School, longer than anyone else in NBS history. Gilmour was also a Fellow and Examiner for the International Cecchetti Society of Teachers of Dance. A celebration will be held for Gilmour at Canada’s National Ballet School on Saturday, May 7th.

Les Productions Figlio wins Rio Tinto Alcan Award

Serge Bennathan

>> by Naomi Brand
Les Productions Figlio is the winner of the twelfth annual Rio Tinto Alcan Performing Arts Award, a $60,000 production fund. The company's new work, Elles, will have its premiere at Vancouver's, The Cultch in March 2012. Les Productions Figlio is a production house dedicated to the artistic work of choreographer Serge Bennathan. Elles is Bennathan's latest work, which brings together a large cast of female dancers from across Canada. The piece researches the visceral, raw physicality of feminine strength and passion. The Rio Tinto Alcan Performing Arts Award is a production fund open to performing arts companies residing in British Columbia. One of the largest awards of its kind in Canada, the award is funded by Rio Tinto Alcan and administered by The Cultch. The competition rotates annually among the disciplines of Dance, Theatre and Music/Opera and is adjudicated by an independent panel of artistic professionals. Previous winners in dance include The Holy Body Tattoo (Circa), battery opera (Cyclops), Kidd Pivot (Lost Action) and Wen Wei Dance (Cock-Pit).

John Hobday Arts Management Awards announced

Mary-Louise Albert / Photo courtesy of the artist
Eva Cairns / Photo by David Ley

>> by Brittany Duggan
On January 24th, the Canada Council for the Arts announced Mary-Louise Albert and Eva Cairns as the 2011 recipients of the John Hobday Awards in Arts Management. The $10,000 awards celebrate established and mid-career arts managers, allowing each recipient to enhance their professional development. Albert, artistic managing director of the Norman Rothstein Theatre and Chutzpah! Festival in Vancouver, transitioned into arts management after an active career as a professional contemporary dancer; she will use this award to pursue a mentorship with Howard Jang, executive director of Vancouver’s Arts Club Theatre Company. Albert and Jang will work together on a series of specific themes surrounding arts management. Cairns, managing producer for Catalyst Theatre in Edmonton, started her career in arts administration as a tour coordinator and will use this award to take three Leadership Development Programs at the Banff Centre. “In order to help arts organizations survive and thrive in an environment in constant flux, there need to be opportunities for arts managers to renew and enhance professional skills,” commented Stephen Bronfman, president of The Samuel and Saidye Bronfman Foundation, in the Canada Council’s press release.

International choreography competition returns to Saint-Sauveur

>> by Naomi Brand
After a six-year hiatus, the Festival des Arts de Saint-Sauveur announces the return of its international choreography competition. The festival offers international programs in dance and music including a competition of original creations that showcases the works of emerging choreographers. The international choreography competition will be held in Saint-Sauveur Valley, a vacation resort located forty minutes north of Montréal, during the next Festival des Arts de Saint-Sauveur from July 28th through August 6th, 2011. Registration deadline for the competition is April 15th, 2011.
www.fass.ca