Evelyn Hart is the internationally renowned, former principal dancer with the Royal Winnipeg Ballet who has shared her gift of ballet with the citizens of Manitoba and the world for almost 30 years. Beginning her dance training at the Dorothy Carter School of Dance in London at the age of 14, Miss Hart came to Winnipeg in 1973 to study at the Royal Winnipeg Ballet School, Professional Division. She joined the Corps de Ballet in 1976, was promoted to soloist in 1978 and became principal dancer in 1979. In 1980, after winning a bronze medal at the World Ballet Concours in Japan, she came to international attention when she became the first Canadian to be awarded a gold medal at the International Ballet Competition in Varna, Bulgaria. Since then, she has received numerous other awards and honours, including her appointment as an Officer of the Order of Canada in 1983 and promotion to Companion of the Order in 1994. She was named Manitoba’s Woman of the Year in 1987, and received honorary doctorates from the University of Manitoba and McMaster University in Ontario. In 2000, she was given the Chalmers Award for her contribution to dance in Canada. She was also inducted into Canada’s prestigious Walk of Fame on June 23, 2000 and received a Governor General’s Performing Arts Award in 2001. Evelyn Hart has toured throughout North America, Europe and Asia with the Royal Winnipeg Ballet and has also appeared as a guest artist with leading ballet companies throughout the world. Despite a demanding schedule, she has always made time to support fundraising events and charities in Manitoba and Canada, including acting as co-chair of Manitoba’s Heart and Stroke Capital Campaign.
