OTTAWA:  The School of Dance announced today that the Ontario Trillium Foundation has awarded The School a three-year grant of $100,000 to launch its new Dances By Youth For Youth programme.

Dances By Youth For Youth is a creative dance arts mentoring programme which provides young choreographers an opportunity to collaborate with an established senior Canadian choreographer in order to create works for young dancers to present to young audiences.  This is an extraordinary opportunity to pass the passion for dance and the art of choreography from one generation to the next through the skills learned in the creative process.

“This is an important investment in our youth and in the Ottawa community,” said Madeleine Meilleur, MPP for Ottawa-Vanier.  “Thanks to the Ontario Trillium Foundation, The School of Dance is making Ottawa a place where young dancers and choreographers can come together to express themselves, to learn from each other and to develop their skills.”

Senior Canadian artist Peter Boneham, a 2005 recipient of the Governor General’s Performing Arts Award and former Artistic Director of Le Groupe Dance Lab, will guide Rebecca McLane and Heather Macdonald, the young Ontario choreographers chosen for the 2010 projects, as they develop their works for performance.

The choreographies are inspired by the collaboration between the choreographers and students from Ontario high-schools. In 2010, the four schools that will participate in Dances for Youth by Youth are: Canterbury High School (Ottawa), École secondaire publique De La Salle (Ottawa) École secondaire catholique de Casselman (Casselman), St-Lawrence Intermediate School (Cornwall). The new art works created may be seen in performance in December 2010 and May 2011.

“We are honoured by the support of the Ontario Trillium Foundation in this important investment in the future of dance in our province,” said Merrilee Hodgins, The School’s Artistic Director. “We are delighted that Peter Boneham is willing to continue to share his knowledge and expertise with future generations and we are proud that our work with young professionals is being recognized. Dance is the perfect medium to explore a variety of issues and this unique, multi-layered collaboration will provide a significant platform. The support from the Ontario Trillium Foundation will allow us to reach many more young people in our province.”

Dances By Youth For Youth will be launched in the Celia Franca Studio at The School of Dance, 200 Crichton Street, Ottawa, on Saturday, November 27th at 5:00 pm with a performance of excerpts of the works in progress. Please call 613-238-7838 to reserve a free ticket. Seating is limited.

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For more information or interviews, contact:
Merrilee Hodgins A.R.A.D., Artistic Director
The School of Dance 613-238-7838

The School of Dance gratefully acknowledges the financial support of the Ontario Trillium Foundation. For over 25 years, the Ontario Trillium Foundation has supported the growth and vitality of communities across the province. The Foundation continues to strengthen the capacity of the volunteer sector through investments in community-based initiatives. For more information, please visit www.trilliumfoundation.org.