The power of onwards: With Mimi Beck

About Mimi Beck

Mimi Beck has dedicated her career to advancing and promoting dance in all forms. As Dance Curator of the DanceWorks performance series, she has provided artistic direction to the organization, presenting artists with multiple approaches to dance making, and encouraging dance literacy among adults and youth. Mimi was an active choreographer and performer in Toronto’s independent dance movement in the late 1970s and early 1980s. In 1985, she submitted a brief to the Canada Council on the role of the dance curator, and received its first grant awarded to a dance curator for professional development. She convened the first meeting of the Canadian Network of Dance Presenters – CanDance. She was Executive Director of this national arts service organization, which is dedicated to strengthening the dance milieu through commissioning, advocacy, and research. Mimi was honoured with a Dance Ontario Award (2007) and a Harold Award (2006), and named “One of 19 who made a difference in the arts” by William Littler in The Toronto Star. From 1990-1994, she was Canadian director of a bi-lateral touring exchange with Dance Theatre Workshop (NY) and the U.S. National Performance Network. Mimi enjoys her roles as mentor, consultant, facilitator, and grandmother.