The Canadian ballerina Evelyn Hart danced with the Royal Winnipeg Ballet for over 30 years, including many as the principal dancer. This month she performs James Kudelka’s Vespers at the Centennial Concert Hall. Here are some things you should know about her. Read on to find out more about her career. And don’t miss her upcoming performances! There are many more things to love about Evelyn Hart, including her collaboration with a Toronto choreographer.
a Canadian ballerina
A legendary prima ballerina of the Royal Winnipeg Ballet, Evelyn Hart is back on stage with the company in the role of Everywoman. Her role explores the mystical connection between humans and nature, and she performs in elaborate animal masks. The talented Canadian ballerina shares some insights on the challenges of preparing for this role and her personal experience of performing for an audience and being lifted by a man.
Evelyn Hart began dancing at the age of 14 and began studying Ballet with David Moroni at the Royal Winnipeg School’s Professional Division. She made her professional debut in 1976 and was promoted to soloist in 1978. In 1979, she became a principal dancer with the RWB and toured the world with the company. She has received many awards and recognitions throughout her career, including honorary doctorates from McMaster University in Hamilton, Ontario, and the University of Manitoba.
The former principal of the Royal Winnipeg Ballet, Evelyn Hart, achieved international fame during the 1980s and won gold at the Varna International Ballet Competition. She retired from the Ballet in 2005 and moved to Toronto. She later became a private ballet coach and recently appeared in a remount of The Four Seasons. Hart has also performed in many of James Kudelka’s works, including the ballet “The Nutcracker.”
Despite her long career in Ballet, Hart struggled with a pathological eating disorder and later returned to the art. She won a place at the Royal Winnipeg Ballet School and joined the company in 1976. In 1979, she was promoted to soloist and, eventually, principal. In the same year, she was honored with ACTRA awards for her performance. Max Wyman published a biography of Evelyn Hart.
a resident guest artist with the RWB
A former soloist with the Royal Winnipeg Ballet, Evelyn Hart has been a guest choreographer with the company since 1987. The company commissioned her work, “Miroirs,” in 1995. Set to Ravel’s impressionistic solo piano suite of the same name, this work unfolds over five movements. Its principal dancers are Jo-Ann Sundermeier and Dmitri Dovgoselets. The piece was performed at home and on tour during the RWB’s 50th anniversary season.
Hart has won numerous awards for her dancing and is recognized as one of Canada’s most prized artists. A graduate of the Royal Winnipeg Ballet School’s Professional Division, Evelyn began performing with the company in 1976 and was promoted to principal dancer in 1979. A recipient of several awards, Hart has toured throughout Europe and North and South America and appeared in more than 118 countries.
The RWB also has a new in-house performance space, the Founders Studio. This space allows for more intimate performances and suggests fiscal restraint. Guests can opt to perform at other venues in the community, but they are still the show’s stars. Hart’s work is innovative and engaging, and her performances are renowned worldwide. She was the first female choreographer to perform Rodeo at the age of eighteen Ballet, and she’s been a frequent guest at the RWB ever since.
Hart was a prima ballerina assoluta in the RWB. She and David Peregrine danced Belong in 1980, earning a gold medal at the Varna International Ballet Competition and putting the RWB on the international map. She met Hart last year during a premiere of James Kudelka’s Vespers. Hart was an inspiration to Shirai.
a collaboration with a Toronto choreographer
After leaving the Royal Winnipeg Ballet in 2005, Hart teamed up with the Duo Concertante. They worked on several projects, including the 2015 Canadian premiere of “The Dance of Evelyn Hart,” and performed works by various choreographers, including Iratxe Ansa and Michael Béjart. Hart also performed with former National Ballet of Canada ballerina Rex Harrington. Hart and Hawkins are now working on their first film project.
The collaboration between Hart and Kudelka is unusual in Toronto. Kudelka, several months Hart’s senior, worked with the Toronto company for two years until she was inspired to create a new piece with an older dancer. The intimate Mimi Herrndorf Studio Theatre at Citadel + Compagnie allows Kudelka to work in an environment more suited to a contemporary choreographer.
Hart began dancing at fourteen, studying at the Dorothy Carter School of Dance in London, Ontario. After looking at the Dorothy Carter School, she moved to the Royal Winnipeg Ballet School, where she eventually joined its corps de Ballet. She was promoted to soloist in 1978 and a principal dancer in 1979. She has performed in several international ballet competitions, winning the gold medal at the 1980 International Ballet Competition.
Hart has been tempted out of retirement several times over the years. This time, the Toronto choreographer James Kudelka has convinced Hart to try his latest work, “Four Old Legs,” which combines high drama with tender moments. Hart’s collaboration with Kudelka was an exciting and unique experience. The choreographer is a master at combining dance and music, and Hart’s performance is no exception.
a biography
Evelyn Hart’s biography is a must-read if you want to know more about the legendary Canadian ballerina. The former principal dancer of the Royal Winnipeg Ballet made her name internationally after her debut at the Varna International Ballet Competition in Bulgaria in 1980. Born in Toronto, Canada, Hart trained at the National Ballet School and the Royal Winnipeg Ballet School. In 1976, she joined the corps de Ballet of the RWB and rose to soloist status. By 1980, she was promoted to principal dancer and was awarded a gold medal. She is Canada’s first gold medal and is one of only a few Canadians to have won both a gold medal and a Certificate of Exceptional Artistic Achievement.
Born in Ontario, Canada, Evelyn Hart began dancing at 14. In 1977, she attended the Dorothy Carter School of Dance Arts in Toronto. She later attended the Royal Winnipeg Ballet School, where she trained under David Moroni. In 1978, she made her professional debut with the company, and two years later, she was promoted to principal dancer. Hart has studied with Dame Alicia Markova, Jorge Garcia, Natalia Zolotova, and Ludmila Bogomolova.
Mary Hart has received numerous honorary degrees and awards. She was named Officer of the ORDER OF CANADA in 1983 and was elevated to Companion in 1994. In addition to these accolades, Hart has been inducted into the ORDER OF MANITOBA and the Ontario Order of Canada. She also receives several other honorary degrees, including an honorary doctorate from the University of Manitoba.
her latest work
The Canadian dancer and current resident guest artist of the Royal Winnipeg Ballet were on stage last month in Winnipeg, working on a duet with Toronto-based dancer Rex Harrington. The duo captivated the audience with their ethereal, meditative moves. This new duet, entitled “A Night with Rex,” is the work of Hart’s artistic genius. Here, we look at the inspiration and performance behind the latest position.
Hart and the other dancers in the production have collaborated for two years on her latest duet, “Four Old Legs,” which will premiere in Toronto on Nov. 25. The work will be performed as part of the Royal Winnipeg Ballet’s North American tour. Hart and Kudelka were adjusting a series of lifts, acrobatics, and the stage’s lighting when the incident occurred. Upon learning of the incident, Hart apologized for any perceived mistakes and rehearsed the piece a few days later.
The Canadian dancer was originally a soloist with the Royal Winnipeg Ballet and rose to international fame as a principal dancer in 1980. She was the first Canadian to win gold at the Varna International Ballet Competition. After retirement from the RWB, Hart relocated to Toronto and started a private ballet coaching practice. In 2014, she appeared in a remount of the classic Ballet The Four Seasons, directed by James Kudelka.
“Four Old Legs” is one of the great works of contemporary dance theater. It features Evelyn Hart and Zhenya Cerneacov as ballerinas. The show is set to a 16-item playlist and includes a Chopin piano prelude. The dancers’ movements weave together in vignettes that explore universal themes. A modern dancer, Hart is a perfect example of a choreographer whose work is both innovative and highly regarded.
