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Choreographer kudos

- December 7, 2009

veronique mackenzie
Veronique MacKenzie. (Bruce Bottomley Photo)

Anyone familiar with Dalhousieā€™s campus will tell you that itā€™s full of talented people. VĆ©ronique MacKenzie, an instructor in the theatre department and a social work student, is one of those people.
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Ms. MacKenzieā€™s extraordinary talent was recognized recently by the Nova Scotia Department of Tourism, Culture and Heritage and Creative Nova Scotia when she was awarded one of five Established Artist Recognition Awards.
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Presented to artists in mid-career, the award comes with $5,000 in prize money. ā€œI think itā€™s wonderful the province has a program like this that acknowledges people across disciplines,ā€ said Ms. MacKenzie, a dancer and choreographer. ā€œItā€™s not always easy being an artist in Nova Scotia and itā€™s great theyā€™re recognized.ā€
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Sheā€™s danced all her life. ā€œI started when I was young,ā€ she recalls. ā€œI went through the ballet program and worked my way up before I switched to modern dance.ā€ Modern dance, with a focus on improvisation, is what Ms. MacKenzie currently teaches to theatre students.
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Originally from Montreal, she has been a resident of Nova Scotia for over 20 years. ā€œThe Atlantic provinces, but Nova Scotia in particular, are a great place to make a living,ā€ she says. ā€œThis is just an awesome place to work and I make a point of telling young people that.ā€
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Despite her assertion that Nova Scotia is a great place to work, she admits there are challenges for young dancers in the province. ā€œI mentor lots of young dancers here and unfortunately many of them have to the leave the province for post-secondary education, which I always encourage, but I always want them to come back.ā€

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