Rachel Browne (born Ray Minkoff; November 6, 1934 – June 9, 2012) was a dancer, teacher and choreographer based in

Winnipeg Winnipeg () is the capital and largest city of the province of Manitoba in Canada. It is centred on the confluence of the Red and Assiniboine rivers, near the longitudinal centre of North America. , Winnipeg had a city population of 749 ...

. In 1964, she founded Canada's longest running

modern dance Modern dance is a broad genre of western concert or theatrical dance which included dance styles such as ballet, folk, ethnic, religious, and social dancing; and primarily arose out of Europe and the United States in the late 19th and early 20th ...

company,

Winnipeg's Contemporary Dancers Winnipeg's Contemporary Dancers is Canada's longest continuously running modern dance company. Founded in 1964 by Rachel Browne, it has presented works in the Rachel Browne Theatre in Winnipeg as well as locations across Canada and the United ...

, and she remained its artistic director until 1983. She remained with the company as a fundraiser and advisor, and continued to teach dance. She was awarded the

Order of Canada The Order of Canada (french: Ordre du Canada; abbreviated as OC) is a Canadian state order and the second-highest honour for merit in the system of orders, decorations, and medals of Canada, after the Order of Merit. To coincide with the c ...

in 1997 and the Winnipeg's Contemporary Dancers performance venue was renamed The Rachel Browne Theatre in 2008. She died in 2012 in Ottawa while visiting to watch a performance at the

Canada Dance Festival The Canadian Dance Festival is an annual Ottawa, Ontario event founded in 1987. Held in June, it sets the stage for Canada's most contemporary, innovative and leading edge dance choreographers and dance companies. The festival includes events at ...

Early life and ballet career

Browne's early dance training was in ballet. After graduating from high school, she moved to New York City to train with

Robert Joffrey Robert Joffrey (December 24, 1930 – March 25, 1988) was an American dancer, teacher, producer, choreographer, and co-founder of the Joffrey Ballet, known for his highly imaginative modern ballets. He was born Anver Bey Abdullah Jaffa Khan in Se ...

and

Benjamin Harkarvy Benjamin Harkarvy (16 December 1930, in New York City – 30 March 2002, in New York City) was an American dance teacher, choreographer, and artistic director. He earned an international reputation for his eclectic approach to dance education (p ...

. Harkarvy became the artistic director of the

Royal Winnipeg Ballet The Royal Winnipeg Ballet is Canada's oldest ballet company and the longest continuously operating ballet company in North America. History It was founded in 1939 as the "Winnipeg Ballet Club" by Gweneth Lloyd and Betty Farrally (who also ...

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 A ballet dancer ( it, ballerina fem.; ''ballerino'' masc.) is a person who practices the art of classical ballet. Both females and males can practice ballet; however, dancers have a strict hierarchy and strict gender roles. They rely on ...

in 1961, citing a need to care for her young family.

Formation of Winnipeg's Contemporary Dancers

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 (1964), which showcased an earthy modern dance that differed from her ballet training. Browne formed a new dance company in 1964, Contemporary Dancers, which later changed its name to

. She 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 Limón (), commonly known as Puerto Limón, is a district, the capital city and main hub of Limón province, as well as of the Limón canton in Costa Rica. It is the seventh largest city in Costa Rica, with a population of over 55,000, and is ...

and

Graham Graham and Graeme may refer to: People * Graham (given name), an English-language given name * Graham (surname), an English-language surname * Graeme (surname), an English-language surname * Graham (musician) (born 1979), Burmese singer * Clan G ...

modern dance technique and acquire new dance pieces for the company. By 1970, the company was a professional dance company receiving

Canada Council The Canada Council for the Arts (french: Conseil des arts du Canada), commonly called the Canada Council, is a Crown corporation established in 1957 as an arts council of the Government of Canada. It acts as the federal government's principal in ...

grants, and in 1972, Browne founded the School of Contemporary Dancers to train future modern dancers. In 1983, pressure from her company led to Browne's resigning from it, but she continued to support it as a fundraiser and advisor. The company still continues to perform works and is the longest running Canadian modern dance company.

Post-Winnipeg's Contemporary Dancers

In the 1960s, Browne's choreography underwent a change towards simpler, feminist works. Some of her works included ''Mouvement'' in 1992 and a collaboration in 1996 with

Ann Southam Ann Southam, (4 February 1937 – 25 November 2010) was a Canadian electronic and classical music composer and music teacher. She is known for her minimalist, iterative, and lyrical style, for her long-term collaborations with dance choreogra ...

called ''Edgelit''. She also created works on dancers who represented different generations with her project called Older Woman Dance.

Death

Browne died on June 9, 2012, in

Ottawa Ottawa (, ; Canadian French: ) is the capital city of Canada. It is located at the confluence of the Ottawa River and the Rideau River in the southern portion of the province of Ontario. Ottawa borders Gatineau, Quebec, and forms the core ...

during a visit to see students perform in the

Accolades

Browne received the Jean A. Chalmers Award for Creativity in Dance in 1995 and was awarded the

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. In 2008, Winnipeg's Contemporary Dancers changed the name of their performance venue to The Rachel Browne Theatre.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Browne, Rachel 1934 births 2012 deaths Contemporary dance choreographers Canadian choreographers Artists from Philadelphia Members of the Order of Canada Canadian contemporary dancers Canadian female dancers Canadian women choreographers