2025 INDUCTEES
Arnold Spohr, C.C., O.M.
Arnold Spohr was a dancer, choreographer, and artistic director. Born in Rhein, Saskatchewan in 1923, he moved with his family to Winnipeg in 1930. At age 20, he obtained a teaching certificate in music and physical education. His love for dance was sparked when he was persuaded by his sister to see a Winnipeg performance of the Ballet Russe de Monte Carlo. He secretly enrolled in ballet classes with Gweneth Lloyd and joined the Winnipeg Ballet as a dancer in 1944, before it had received its royal moniker. He became a star performer, often partnering Jean McKenzie, and participated in the Canadian Ballet Festivals. Described as “obsessive, uncompromising and mercurial,” he was the company’s Artistic Director for 30 years, beginning in 1958. During his tenure, he developed the Royal Winnipeg Ballet from a small, regional troupe to an award-winning company of international renown. He expanded the repertoire to include a wide range of innovative contemporary ballets as well as seminal pieces from the classical repertoire. He was offered prestigious positions elsewhere but turned them all down to remain in Winnipeg. He retired in 1988 but continued to teach and mentor ballet artists across Canada until his death in 2010. He received many honours in his lifetime including multiple honorary degrees, Governor General’s Performing Arts Award, Molson Prize, Queen Elizabeth II Silver Jubilee Medal and Officer of the Order of the Buffalo Hunt, Order of Manitoba, and Order of Canada.
Rachel Browne, C.M.
Rachel Browne is the founder of Winnipeg’s Contemporary Dancers and the School of Contemporary Dancers. Born in Philadelphia in 1934, she studied ballet in childhood and continued professional training in New York City. She joined the Royal Winnipeg Ballet in 1957 at the invitation of its then Artistic Director Benjamin Harkarvy and was a soloist with the company until 1961 when she left to start a family. She founded Winnipeg’s Contemporary Dancers in 1964 and served as artistic director and resident choreographer for over 20 years. She was instrumental in the development of modern dance in Canada and by 1970 she had brought Winnipeg’s Contemporary Dancers to national recognition. Under Rachel’s direction, the company became an important commissioner of new Canadian choreographers including Stephanie Ballard, Anna Blewchamp, David Earle, Karen Jamieson, Judith Marcuse, Jennifer Mascall, Linda Rabin, Paula Ravitz, Tedd Robinson, and Norbert Vesak. In 1972, she founded the School of Contemporary Dancers. Throughout its development, Rachel remained active as a valued guide and wise mentor for the School’s Co-Directors, Faye Thomson and Odette Heyn. Rachel resigned from Winnipeg’s Contemporary Dancers as Artistic Director in 1983, but remained closely tied to the company and the School for the remainder of her life, while setting works on other companies and dance artists throughout Canada. Rachel died in 2012. She was a Member of the Order of Canada.
Brian Webb
Brian Webb is known nationally and abroad as an artist, teacher and dance presenter. Brian graduated with distinction from the University of Alberta with a BFA in Theatre. He then moved to New York City, working with Eric Hawkins who had an influence on his early dance making. During the 1970s, Brian premiered many of his first dances with the Carol Conway Company in New York. Returning to Edmonton in 1979, he formed the Brian Webb Dance Company (BWDC) as “company in residence” at Grant MacEwan College, where he was the Chair of the Dance Program for ten years. The company began presenting dance seasons in 1991. Since the beginning, the BWDC has been dedicated to experimentation, the new, and a collaborative creative process. In 1986, Brian completed an MFA in Choreography at the California Institute of the Arts where he was introduced to feminist art theory, which, in its simplest form states, “each of us has a story to tell, and each of our stories is of equal value.” As Artistic Director of the Canada Dance Festival at the National Arts Centre in Ottawa from 2001 to 2011, he introduced extensive innovative programming. As a volunteer, Brian was the president of Latitude 53 and Professional Arts Coalition of Edmonton, Alberta Dance Alliance, CanDance Network, and the Edmonton Arts Council. He has served on the boards of the Compassion House Foundation and the Nina Haggerty Centre. He was co-chair of a City of Edmonton initiative examining the future of the arts and arts policy in Edmonton.
Brian’s many awards include Syncrude Award for Innovation in Artistic Direction (1995), Telus Award for Arts of the Future (1998), Edmonton Cultural Hall of Fame (2002), Queen’s Jubilee Medal (2002) , Alberta Centennial Medal (2005), University of Alberta Alumni Award (2012), Queen’s Diamond Jubilee Medal (2012), and King Charles the Third Coronation Medal (2025).
Ryan Richard (aka Miss Sandi Bay)
Ryan Richard is widely celebrated as Canada’s Master of the Jig – a groundbreaking performer and cultural ambassador from Sandy Bay Ojibway First Nation, located on the western shores of Lake Manitoba.
As a toddler, Ryan learned the traditional Red River Jig from his grandmother, Irene Richard, who playfully fastened bottle caps to his baby shoes so he could mimic the rhythmic sound of taps while bouncing in his jolly jumper. By age three, he had won his first jigging competition in Austin, Manitoba. Today, Ryan is a five-time Men’s World Jigging Champion and a 15-time Men’s Champion at Winnipeg’s Festival du Voyageur – a record that firmly cements his status as the most decorated and dynamic figure in the world of Métis jigging. Renowned for his high-energy and contemporary reimagining of the traditional Jig, Ryan’s performances blend cartwheels, moonwalks, and modern musical selections – including “The Orange Blossom Special” – with the time-honoured steps of the Red River Jig. His captivating style has dazzled audiences at prestigious events such as the Juno Awards, Manito Ahbee Festival, Folklorama’s Métis Pavilion, and the groundbreaking 2024 Manitoba Opera production of Li Keur. As the founder of the celebrated square-dance troupe United Thunder, Ryan has led his team to multiple national titles. Their vibrant performances continue to captivate at cultural and corporate events across the country. Ryan also performs as Miss Sandi Bay, a dazzling drag persona who made history by introducing the Red River Jig to the stage – in platform heels. Beyond the spotlight, Ryan’s jigging workshops have inspired a new generation of dancers and helped countless youth reconnect with their heritage through movement, music and tradition.
Canada’s Ukrainian Shumka Dancers
Established in Edmonton in 1959 under the direction of Chester Kuc for its first decade, the Ukrainian Shumka Dancers is Canada’s only professional Ukrainian dance company. Shumka presents dance-theatre touring productions, as well as intimate concert repertoire across the country and around the world. Seen by millions on international television broadcasts, the company has presented command performances for Queens, Prime Ministers, and Presidents, and have performed alongside the likes of Andrea Bocelli, Julie Andrews, and Ukrainian artists including Ruslana. Along with Alberta Ballet and Edmonton Opera, Shumka is honoured to be a resident company of the Northern Alberta Jubilee Auditorium. More than 60 years of performance history has shaped Shumka’s signature music and dance style. While maintaining deep respect for their heritage, Shumka continually challenges conventional boundaries to define the experience of Ukrainian dance in the context of today’s society. Shumka has self-presented nine cross-Canada tours, and toured China and Ukraine on two occasions. One of Shumka’s biggest productions was its presentation of Shumka’s Cinderella, which premiered in 2000 and toured Canada, China, and Ukraine. .
William J. S. Boyle Dance Luminaries
Odette Heyn, C.M. & Faye Thomson, C.M.
As Co-Founders, Odette Heyn and Faye Thomson have directed The Professional Program of The School of Contemporary Dancers for over 40 years, establishing it as a leading national professional contemporary dance training program in Canada. They continually produce outstanding graduates who contribute significantly to the cultural fabric of Canada as dance artists, choreographers, directors, and teachers. They initiate numerous professional collaborations connecting emerging artists with companies across Canada and internationally. They were creators of the first affiliation between a professional contemporary dance program and a university in Canada: the University of Winnipeg. As dance artists, they have performed with Winnipeg’s Contemporary Dancers, Rachel Browne, Tedd Robinson, and Stephanie Ballard. They also served as Assistant Artistic Directors and company teachers with WCD. Faye performed extensively with Menaka Thakkar and has served recently as a rehearsal director with Nafro Dance Productions and QDance. She served on the Winnipeg Arts Council’s Board and the Manitoba Arts Council Advisory Panel and holds degrees in Dance and Philosophy. Odette choreographed and danced nationally and internationally, her work with symphonies spans across Canada, Taipei, Hong Kong, and Malaysia. She is founding director of Odette Heyn Projects and is a board member with Little Opera Company and the Keep Theatre. Odette and Faye were recipients of The Winnipeg Arts Council’s Making a Difference Award, Dance Manitoba’s Lifetime Achievement Distinction Award for Excellence in Dance and appointed Members of the Order of Canada. Odette received an Honorary Doctor of Letters from University of Winnipeg. Faye has been appointed an Honorary Fellow, St. John’s College: University of Manitoba.
Sandra Faire Next Generation Award
Ashley Colours Perez
Ashley Colours Perez is a teacher, dancer, and choreographer. She is the co-artistic director of Mix Mix Dance Collective. Mix Mix has showcased work at Toronto Fringe (2013/2017), Next Stage Theatre Festival (2014), Fall For Dance North (2017), Contemporaneity 3.0 (2019), and represented Canada at the Jeux de la Francophonie (2017) in Abidjan. Ashley was awarded the 2018 Dora Mavor Moore Award for Outstanding Performance, Ensemble in the Dance Division for Floor’d presented by Holla Jazz in 2018. Since the pandemic, Ashley has completed her MA in Dance at York University, a co-collaboration with Toronto Dance Theatre’s Magic of Assembly (2023). She recently co-produced and performed her first solo work Generating Danse in Montréal commissioned by Danse Cité (2024). In 2024 Ashley received Dance Collection Danse’s Artist Researchers-In-Residence focusing on the popular dance style known as Waacking and its original name Punking. Her research aims to highlight contributors, creators, and practitioners of the Punking/Whacking/Waacking dance form, including the last living Original Punker and dance artist Viktor Manoel.
