"If you want to learn, then learn from the best". Those words from legendary ballet director Arnold Spohr are the inspiration behind a new Banff Centre dance endowment named in his honour.
Today in Winnipeg, The Banff Centre announced the creation of the Arnold Spohr Distinguished Guest Artist Endowment for Dance. The endowment will enable the Centre to bring internationally renowned dance artists and teachers to Banff as instructors in the Centre’s Professional Dance Program. In summer 2008, Sorella Englund, former principal dancer with the Royal Danish Ballet and one of the world’s foremost experts on the works of choreographer August Bournonville, will be the Arnold Spohr Distinguished Artist.
Lindsay Fischer, director of the Centre’s Professional Dance Program, says the opportunity to bring top guest artists to Banff will have a profound impact on the young dancers enrolled in the program. "The Distinguished Artist Award allows the iconic figures in the ballet world to pass their knowledge to the next generation by working with those dancers in the studio. This means that the most vital part of the tradition, which can only be captured by physical expression, will remain a real and vibrant resource for current and future dancers."
Newly restructured on the occasion of The Banff Centre’s 75th anniversary, the professional Dance Program brings dancers to Banff for five weeks of intensive training, followed by a week of mainstage performances that will include a new choreographic work as part of the annual Banff Summer Arts Festival. Dancers in the program are chosen by the artistic directors of seven top ballet companies — Andre Lewis of Canada’s Royal Winnipeg Ballet, Karen Kain of the National Ballet of Canada, Gradimir Pankov of Les Grands Ballets Canadiens, Alberta Ballet’s Jean Grand-Maître, John Alleyne of Ballet British Columbia, Bengt Jörgen of Ballet Jörgen, and Mikko Nissinen of Boston Ballet.
The Arnold Spohr Distinguished Guest Artist Endowment for Dance — which
currently stands at over half a million dollars — was spearheaded by
Susan Glass and Arni Thorsteinson, past and current Banff Centre and Royal
Winnipeg Ballet Board members and supporters. "We are honoured to have
the opportunity to celebrate Dr. Spohr’s legacy by supporting the dancers
of tomorrow," says Susan Glass, "and we are immensely grateful
for the generosity and vision of the donors who contributed to this endowment."
Artistic director of the Royal Winnipeg Ballet from 1958 to 1988, Arnold
Spohr was also co-director of The Banff Centre’s dance program from
1967 to 1981. Under his leadership, the Royal Winnipeg Ballet established
its place among the world's internationally renowned dance companies.
The Banff Centre welcomes additional donations to the endowment. For information on how to make a gift to the Arnold Spohr Distinguished Guest Artist Endowment for Dance, please contact 1.888.495.4467 or visit http://www.banffcentre.ca/support/
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Banff Centre spokesperson will be available for media interviews; and archival footage of Arnold Spohr will be provided at the endowment announcement event, 12:30 p.m. Friday May 2, Royal Winnipeg Ballet, 380 Graham Avenue. An image of Arnold Spohr is downloadable from http://www.banffcentre.ca/media_room/images/default.asp#people