Halifax, Nova Scotia – Canvas 5 x 5, created by Tedd Robinson (choreographer), Jacinte Armstrong, Rhonda Baker, Susanne Chui, and Ruth-Ellen Kroll-Jackson (dancers), has won the 2016 Lieutenant Governor of Nova Scotia Masterworks Arts Award. The Award, which carries a cash value of $25,000, was presented last night at the Creative Nova Scotia Gala in Halifax.
Canvas 5 x 5 includes notable improvised passages. The four female dancers enact the imagined origins of Celtic dance, accompanied by recorded Celtic music. Throughout the performance, the dancers deploy lengths of canvas to unique effect.
Jury Comments: Canvas 5 x 5 is the best dance to come out of this province. It raises the bar. The dancers are athletic and precise, and their performance appears effortless. The choreography serves them perfectly. The dance is profound in its integration of form and concept.
Produced by Mocean Dance, Canvas 5 x 5 was first presented by Live Art Dance in Halifax in 2012.
The Winner was selected by an independent, multidisciplinary jury of artists: artist Katie Belcher; actor, choreographer, writer, and director Cory Bowles; musician Timothy Crofts; multimedia visual artist, goldsmith, and poet Charles Doucette; actor and director Ann-Marie Kerr.
The jury identified five works as Finalists for the 2016 Award. In addition to Canvas 5 x 5, they selected Concerto for Tabla and Orchestra by composer Dinuk Wijeratne, Lounge Chair No. 2 by woodworker Jonathan Otter, Mi’kwite’tmn (Do You Remember) by visual artist Ursula Johnson, and What a Young Wife Ought to Know by playwright Hannah Moscovitch and director Christian Barry. The Creators of all five Finalists were honoured at a reception at Government House on Friday. The Creators of all five Finalists received $3,000.
“Mi’kwite’tmn” is pronounced “Meh-gwih-DAY-duh-min.”
Established by the Honourable Myra Freeman in 2005, the Lieutenant Governor of Nova Scotia Masterworks Arts Award recognizes the excellence of a particular work of art or design from any media. These works have made a significant impact through their public presentation and have contributed to the historical development and contemporary practice of the art form. Now in its 11th year, the Award remains the largest annual award to any work of art in Nova Scotia.
The Lieutenant Governor of Nova Scotia Masterworks Arts Award has an annual nominations deadline of March 1. The deadline for the 2017 Award is March 1st, 2017. Nomination guidelines and forms may be downloaded from the Masterworks website at www.nsmasterworks.ca.
The Award is generously sponsored by Scotiabank, Arts Nova Scotia, The Craig Foundation, McInnes Cooper, and individual donors.
For further information including print-quality photos contact:
Kayleigh Sheehan
Strategic Arts Management,
902-407-8885
