Vancouver artistic director, producer and choreographer Judith Marcuse has been awarded the 2009 Jacqueline Lemieux Prize. The prize, valued at $6,000, is awarded annually to the most deserving applicant in the Canada Council Grants to Dance Professionals program. The prize is awarded in memory of Jacqueline Lemieux and her contribution to Canadian dance. Marcuse was chosen by a peer assessment committee consisting of Carol Anderson (Toronto), Margaret Grenier (Vancouver) and Kenneth Roy (Montreal). Judith Marcuse has had a distinguished international career as a dancer, choreographer, teacher, director and producer in dance, theatre, opera, television and film. At the core of her work is a commitment to the marriage of artistic excellence and social relevance and a passion to integrate art into community life. Marcuse is the founder and co-director of the International Centre of Art for Social Change (ICASC) at Simon Fraser University, a global hub for networking, training, professional development, research and community outreach in the field of art for social change (www.icasc.ca).
