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Headlines and details published by The Dance Current.

Friday, March 25, 2011

Megan Andrews concludes 13 years at The Dance Current

Megan Andrews and daughter / Photo by Ken Cunningham

>> by Brittany Duggan
Megan Andrews, publisher/founding editor of The Dance Current magazine, has recently announced her decision to resign from her current role as Publisher/Founding Editor of the dance media organization stating, “I fully expect to remain involved in the dance community and perhaps even contribute to the magazine in a different capacity in the future. I certainly plan to continue writing. I’m so appreciative of the community’s investment, both personally and professionally, over the years. I truly hope the magazine will continue to benefit from this support and serve Canada’s dance community in the best possible way.” Andrews’ decision comes a year after the birth of her first child and with a desire to pursue other professional activities. She assures the dance community, in the magazine’s March issue, that this coming transition to new leadership will be gradual and with the support of the board of directors, the remaining staff and of Andrews herself, both until her official departure date this summer and potentially thereafter in the form of consultation.

The Dance Current started as a black and white publication in the form of a newsletter for the Toronto dance community in 1998; it has since grown to cover the national scene, making it a unique Canadian publication.

The organization has begun the hiring process for a new publisher and editor, check www.thedancecurrent.com for more information.
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Monday, March 21, 2011

Toronto dance artist featured in transit poster series

Keiko Kitano / Photo by Giulio Muratori

>> by Brittany Duggan
Dance artist Keiko Kitano is one of nine contemporary artists in the latest series of First Impressions. Produced by Toronto Arts Council in partnership with Heritage Toronto, the project celebrates the diverse heritage of Toronto’s arts community. This latest series, as a TTC poster campaign, was launched March 14th with a total of sixteen posters featuring historic and contemporary artists, and their first impressions of Toronto. First launched in 2009, the inaugural series featured dancer and choreographer Lata Pada. First Impressions highlights how different waves of immigration have built Toronto. Portraits of the contemporary artists are by Toronto photographer Giulio Muratori with graphic design by The George Partnership. A complete list of artists and their profiles can be found online at the following:
www.heritagetoronto.org
www.torontoartsfoundation.org
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Sunday, March 13, 2011

Margie Gillis receives Governor General's Award

Margie Gillis / Photo by Tamara Fiset

>> By Cynthia Brett
Dancer, choreographer and teacher Margie Gillis is among six recipients of the 2011 Governor General's Performing Arts Awards (GGPAA) for Lifetime Artistic Achievement. A veteran Canadian artist, Montreal-based Gillis has created and performed more than 100 solos in her nearly forty-year career. She has also choreographed works for companies such as Alberta Ballet and Cirque du Soleil, and has been a guest artist with The National Ballet of Canada, Les Grands Ballets Canadiens de Montréal and Paul Taylor Dance Company. This is not the first time Gillis' artistic contributions have been recognized; she has been a Member of the Order of Canada since 1988, a Knight of the Ordre National du Québec since 2009 and has been made honorary Cultural Ambassador by both the federal and Québec governments. For her most recent honour, she will receive $25,000 from the Canada Council for the Arts and a commemorative plaque from the Royal Canadian Mint. The GGPAA also provide a mentorship program between former Lifetime Artistic Achivement Award winners and mid-career artists. This year, Evelyn Hart will mentor Heather Odgen, principal dancer with The National Ballet of Canada.
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Tuesday, March 8, 2011

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.
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Wednesday, March 2, 2011

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
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Tuesday, March 1, 2011

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.”
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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.
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