Dr. Marion North
photo: www.markwhitfieldphotography.com
Dr. Marion North CBE passes away
The Trustees and Advisors of the Marion North Mentoring Award under the auspices of the Bonnie Bird Choreography Fund are deeply saddened to announce that Dr. Marion North CBE, founder of the Marion North Mentoring Scheme and the Bonnie Bird Choreography Fund and Principal and Chief Executive of Laban from 1973-2004, passed away on Thursday 3rd May after a brief spell in hospital.
Her absence will be felt immensely in the dance world both professionally, for all that she achieved for the Bonnie Bird Choreography Fund and the dance world, and personally for those who knew and worked with her.
Maggie Morris, Chair of the fund paid tribute to Marion:
"Marion had an indomitable spirit, a keen and brilliant mind and a focus for detail and high standards that threaded through everything that she undertook. As founder and life trustee of the Bonnie Bird Choreography Awards she worked passionately and rigorously to further her aim that the fund should support choreographers at all stages of their careers and not be slow to respond to the changing needs of artists."
Please click here to read our full tribute to Dr. Marion North.
Please click here for details on how to make a donation to the Marion North Mentoring Scheme in her memory.
The Bonnie Bird Choreography Fund, incorporating the Marion North Mentoring Scheme, is dedicated to supporting artists' current practice and research.
The Fund supports the research and development of new choreography, aiming to recognise and address what choreography is today and what choreographers’ needs are in today’s complex and ever-changing local and international landscape.
In its first 25 years, the Fund has supported over 125 dance artists and dance writers with several awards of different types given each year. From 2011, the Fund will offer one major Bonnie Bird New Choreography Award of £10,000 and two Marion North Mentoring Awards of up to £1000 annually.
The Bonnie Bird New Choreography Award is open to choreographers based in England, with a focus on experienced artists who have been working professionally for more than five years. The award will enable them to undertake a bespoke one-year programme of choreographic research, with the support of a Creative Producer and partner organisations. Please see the Funding section for full details and how to apply.
The Marion North Mentoring Awards, established in 2000, enable emerging choreographers to invite an established choreographer or dance artist of their choice to mentor them, offering invaluable advice, support and feedback. The Fund often works in partnership on these awards with one or more National Dance Agencies, which nominate artists for selection and contribute matched funding.
