Rachel Browne

Browne's early dance training was in ballet and after graduating from high school she moved to New York City to train with Robert Joffrey and Benjamin Harkarvy. Harkarvy became the artistic director of the Royal Winnipeg Ballet in 1957 and asked Browne to accompany him and become one of the company's dancers. She danced with the company until her retirement as a ballerina in 1961, citing a need to care for her young family.[3]

Upon her retirement Browne began a teaching career at the Lhotka School of Ballet. At the same time, Browne began choreographing new works. Her first piece was Odetta's Songs and Dances in 1964 which showcased an earthy modern dance that differed from her ballet training.[3]

Browne formed a new dance company in 1964 called Contemporary Dancers, which later changed its name to Winnipeg's Contemporary Dancers. Browne took on the roles of dancer, choreographer, teacher, fundraiser and administrator for the new company. She also traveled to New York yearly to study Limón and Graham modern dance technique and acquiring new dance pieces for the company. By 1970, the company was a professional dance company receiving Canada Council grants and in 1972 Browne founded the School of Contemporary Dancers to train future modern dancers.[3]

In 1983, Browne resigned as artistic director after receiving internal pressure from her company but still remained as a fundraiser and advisor. The company still continues to perform works and is the longest running Canadian modern dance company.[1]

Browne's choreography underwent a change in the 1980s towards simpler, feminist works. Some of her works included Mouvement in 1992 and a collaboration in 1996 with Ann Southam called Edgelit. She also created works on dancers who represented different generations with her project called Older Woman Dance.[3]

Browne died on June 9, 2012 in Ottawa during a visit to see students perform in the Canada Dance Festival.[4]

Browne received the Jean A. Chalmers Award for Creativity in Dance in 1995 and awarded the Order of Canada in 1997. In 2000 she received the Canada Council Jacqueline Lemieux Prize, and in 2001, she received the Manitoba Arts Council Great-West Life Lifetime Achievement Award.[3] In 2008, Winnipeg's Contemporary Dancers changed the name of their performance venue to The Rachel Browne Theatre.[1][4]