David Earle wins Premier's Award

David Earle self-portrait

>> by Samantha Mehra
Canada's most prolific modern dance choreographer, David Earle, was awarded the Premier's Award for Excellence in the Arts. The award, created in 2006 by the Government of Ontario, recognizes the outstanding achievements of professional artists and arts organizations, as well as their contributions to Ontario's arts and culture over a significant time period. Earle was awarded in the Individual Artist Category, one which included nominees choreographer Menaka Thakkar, composer R. Murray Schafer, photographer Edward Burtynsky, Clay & Paper Theatre founder David Anderson and writer Dennis Lee. A $35,000 purse accompanies the award, money that Earle says is needed by the Guelph-based dance company he founded, Dancetheatre David Earle. Robert Kingsbury, a dancer with Earle's company, also won a Premier's Award for New and Emerging Talent. David Earle has received several other honours including the Order of Canada and the Walter Carsen Prize. He co-founded Toronto Dance Theatre in 1968 with Patricia Beatty and Peter Randazzo.
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