David Earle

David Earle (born September 17, 1939) is a Canadian choreographer, dancer and artistic director. He co-founded Toronto Dance Theatre with Patricia Beatty and Peter Randazzo where he choreographed and produced new modern dance pieces. Afterwards he started his own company called Dancetheatre David Earle where he continues to choreograph new works. He is a member of the Order of Canada, a recipient of the Jean A. Chalmers Award for Distinction in Choreography and an honorary doctorate degree from Queen’s University in Kingston, Ontario.

Earle was born in Toronto on the 17th September 1939. He trained with the National Ballet School and studied in New York with Martha Graham. He was a dancer with the José Limon Dance Company for a single season, then assisted with setting up the London Contemporary Dance Theatre in England.

After returning to Toronto Earle co-founded Toronto Dance Theatre with Patricia Beatty and Peter Randazzo in 1968. They agreed to share the role of artistic director and each create choreography for the company. Earle became known for emotional theatricality and attractive ensemble pieces. As time passed Earle assumed a more dominant role in the affairs and choreography of the company.

One of Earle’s dances during this time was Miserere, originally part of a larger work called Exit, Nightfall (1981). The piece incorporates liturgical themes and recreates the Stations of the Cross and other religious imagery.

Earle joined the founders in 1977 to buy St. Enoch’s Church to convert it to the Winchester Street Theatre. In 1979 Earle created the School of Toronto Dance Theatre, a training program for professional modern dancers. This caused Toronto Dance Theatre to face financial difficulties and the founders experienced a lack of creative energy. Earle and the other founders offered the artistic directorship of the company to Kenny Pearl in 1983.

During this time, Earle continued to choreograph in various places across Canada. In 1984 he created Sacra Conversazione at the Banff School of Fine Arts. The piece touches on themes of mortality and grief and is danced to Mozart’s unfinished Requiem Mass. The piece was later remounted with Toronto Dance Theatre in 1986.

In 1987 Earle returned as Toronto Dance Theatre’s sole artistic director. He continued in this role until 1994, where he became artist-in-residence with the company for two years.

After leaving Toronto Dance Theatre in 1996 Earle moved to Elora, Ontario and founded a new dance company called Dancetheatre David Earle. His recent work features collaborations with choirs, orchestras and chamber choirs.

In 2014 Earle premiered Exil, performed by three dancers. The piece drew upon traditional modern dance and was danced by young artists.

Earle has received distinctions from his colleagues, various institutions of higher learning and the Canadian government. He received the Clifford E. Lee Award for Choreography in 1987 and the Jean A. Chalmers Award for Distinction in Choreography in 1994. He was appointed to the Order of Canada in 1996.

More recently Earle was awarded an honorary doctorate of laws from Queen’s University in 2005 and the following year he was the fifth recipient of the Walter Carsen Prize for Excellence in the Performing Arts. In 2009 he won the Primer’s Award for Excellence in the Arts in the Individual Category. It was awarded by the Ontario government and recognises the outstanding achievements of artists and arts organisations.