Les Ballets Jazz de Montréal, with Artistic Director Louis Robitaille, won the RIDEAU Hommage award in February. RIDEAU supports the productions of its members as an independent network of presenters of artistic events mainly in Québec.
Canadian Dance Assembly Executive Director Kate Cornell was one of the two winners of the John Hobday Award in Arts Management. The award, valued at $10,000, includes mentorship with Ontario Cultural Attractions Fund Executive Director, Kathleen Sharpe.
Vancouver-based Justine A. Chambers and Victoria-based David Ferguson are this year’s recipients of Dance Victoria’s Chrystal Dance Prizes. Chambers was awarded $20,000 towards a full-length work in collaboration with Berlin artist Laurie Young. Ferguson was awarded $10,000 towards a full-length work in collaboration with South Korean artists Hyoseung Ye and Jung ah Chung. Both Chambers and Ferguson will have residency periods with Dance Victoria.
Decidedly Jazz Danceworks’ Founder in Residence Vicki Adams Willis is the winner of this year’s MacLachlan Community Beacon Award. The award, valued at $5000, was presented to Willis at the Mayor’s Lunch for Arts Champions in Calgary on March 16.
Mile Zero Dance Artistic Director Gerry Morita and Good Women Dance founding member Ainsley Hillyard were each awarded an Edmonton Artists’ Trust Fund valued at $7500 in recognition of their commitment to working in and contributing to Edmonton’s arts community.
Aimee Rushton is the recipient of this year’s New Work Award from the Good Women Dance Collective (GWDC). Rushton is a School of Contemporary Dancers grad and after two seasons with the Ruth Cansfield Dance Company in Winnipeg is now based in Edmonton. The New Work Award has been presented by GWDC since 2013 and includes $2000 as well as artistic and administrative mentorship.
The Ministère de l’Éducation and the Ministère de la Culture awarded L’école Curé-Antoine-Labelle the Essor Provincial Grand Prize. The school was awarded $10,000 for Cartes à jouer pour le XXIe siècle, an interdisciplinary project led by dance education specialist Mariève Rivard. Caroline Paré of Collège de Champigny was awarded the Pedagogical Development Prize for her project Six chemins, les corps de la danse contemporaine.
Thirteen-year-old Chloe Gauthier of Vancouver’s Goh Ballet Academy earned a gold medal at the first Vienna International Ballet Experience held in Missoula, Montana, March 21 through 23. Abby Wang, also thirteen, took home a bronze medal, and sixteen-year-old Rachel Gibbs received a silver. All three were invited to participate in the Vienna International Ballet Experience, in Austria, this spring, but will not be attending due to other obligations.
The Vancouver series Dances for a Small Stage was held in Australia in March and won “Best Dance” at the Adelaide Fringe Festival.
Les Grands Ballets Canadiens announced Italian-born Ivan Cavallari as the company’s new artistic director. Cavallari is a former principal dancer with Stuttgart Ballet and has led ballet companies in Australia and France. He will take the reins from current AD Gradimir Pankov starting next season. (See photo essay in the November/December 2015 honouring Pankov’s tenure.)
Les 7 doigts de la main co-won the 31st Grand Prix du Conseil des arts de Montréal on March 24 for being ambassadors of Montreal’s artistic community.
Tagged: Awards, Ballet, Contemporary, David Ferguson, Jazz, Uncategorized, National
