Rachel Browne, 1934-2012

Rachel Browne in Flowering

>> by Amy Bowring
Canadian dance icon Rachel Browne died in Ottawa on Saturday, June 9th. Founder of Winnipeg's Contemporary Dancers and its accompanying professional school, Browne was in Ottawa for the Canada Dance Festival (CDF) where students from five of Canada's professional dance schools, including the School of Contemporary Dancers, were performing Jean-Pierre Perreault's Joe et Rodolphe at the National Arts Centre. Browne returned to her hotel late Friday night and died in her sleep at the age of 77; the cause of death has not been made public. A funeral will be held in Winnipeg on Friday, June 15th at 2:30pm in the Piano Nobile reception area of the Centennial Concert Hall. Plans are being arranged for a memorial in Toronto in September; details will be made available when public.

Born in Philadelphia, Browne studied piano and dance as a child. After high school, she moved to New York and took ballet classes with Benjamin Harkarvy. In New York, she and some friends also formed a ballet group called The New Century Dancers – anyone who joined had to be enlightened in socialism or communism. In 1957, Browne left New York when Harkarvy invited her to accompany him on a move to Winnipeg to direct the Royal Winnipeg Ballet. Browne left the company in 1961 and began to raise a family; however, she still attended company class or would do barre exercises in her kitchen. During these years, she began to teach for fellow RWB dancers Jill and Nenad Lhotka. When she choreographed for her senior students, she discovered that her natural way of moving was not balletic in nature. She began to choreograph more and founded Contemporary Dancers in 1964. She developed a repertory company that performed her work as well as that of others, such as Robert Moulton. The socialist ideals of her upbringing along with feminism and environmental issues informed her work. She resigned as artistic director in 1983 but remained closely tied to the company for the remainder of her life while also setting works on other companies and individuals. Through her teaching and choreography, she has influenced and mentored multiple generations of dance artists across Canada including Stephanie Ballard, Tedd Robinson, Sharon Moore and Andrea Nann, among numerous others. Several artists performing at CDF dedicated their shows to Browne’s memory. Writer-choreographer Carol Anderson published a biography of Browne, Rachel Browne: Dancing Toward the Light, in 1999.

TRIP dance company announces closure

>> by Cynthia Brett

After twelve seasons and nineteen original works, TRIP dance company is closing its doors. Choreographer/Artistic Director Karen Kuzak and her partner, Dancer/General Manager Randy Joynt, founded the Winnipeg-based company in 1997. On July 26th they announced its closure in a press release in which Kuzak commented that "... we made this decision in order to pursue the next phase of our lives outside of an organizational structure." Throughout her career Kuzak has created over fifty choreographies, including nine full-evening works and many shorter pieces for TRIP. "With such a rich and rewarding experience to inform us, we look forward to an exciting future. Randy, in his role of executive director of Artspace Inc., and positions on the boards of the Winnipeg Arts Council and the Canadian Dance Assembly will continue to support the arts and cultural community. Karen remains passionately curious with being human in motion/stillness. After a brief pause to reflect on her work thus far, she plans to continue to create as an independent artist," the pair told The Dance Currrent. Dance Collection Danse, Canada's national dance archives, now holds the company's materials.

New ballet ensemble in Winnipeg

>> by Brittany Duggan
Choreographer Peter Quanz officially launched his new ballet ensemble Q Dance / Quanz Danse with a triple bill evening on May 28th and 29th, 2010, at the Gas Station Art Centre in Winnipeg. The inaugural event revealed two world premiers as well as the Canadian premier of In Tandem, a piece commissioned by New York’s Guggenheim Museum in September 2009 for the launch of its 25th anniversary season of Works & Progress. A former student of the Royal Winnipeg Ballet School, Quanz has been choreographing for over eight years for some of the world’s leading ballet companies. Joining Quanz in Q Dance / Quanz Danse are Vanessa Lawson, Jo-Anne Sundermeier, Amanda Green, Maureya Lebowitz, Alexander Gamayunov and Yosuke Mino; all dancers from the Royal Winnipeg Ballet.

Arnold Spohr, 1923-2010

>> by Amy Bowring
Arnold Spohr, one of the longest serving artistic directors in Canadian cultural history, has died at a nursing home in Winnipeg. Spohr began his career as a dancer in 1945 at the Winnipeg Ballet working with founders Gweneth Lloyd and Betty Farrally. He received acclaim for his performances at the Canadian Ballet Festivals and his early choreographic works were highlighted by the critics. He was a part of the company when it received its Royal moniker in 1953 and when fire ravaged the studios in 1954. He became artistic director in 1958 and remained its leader for the next three decades. During that time, he raised the Royal Winnipeg Ballet’s profile from that of a regional ballet to one of international stature and guided dancers such as Evelyn Hart and David Peregrine through award-winning performances. His skill as a director is often noted by former dancers. He put a unique signature on the company by commissioning works from emerging and established choreographers creating a repertoire of contemporary and classical ballets.