David Earle’s dance has often seemed like weather; epic storms and sweeps of sculptural, impassioned motion. Inspired by childhood experiences with Dorothy Goulding’s Toronto Children’s Players, by the humanist ideals of José Limón, with whom he studied and danced, and by the concentrated poetics of Graham dance, Earle created almost a hundred dances for TDT. Dances including Baroque Suite, (1972), Ray Charles Suite, Fauré Requiem (1977), Sacra Conversazione (1985) set to the Mozart Requiem, and Court of Miracles were much-loved standards in the company’s repertoire. Sunrise, for which Earle received the 1987 Dora Award in New Choreography, marked a departure from the romanticism of earlier work; later works have introduced haunting images of despair, anonymity and loss.

David Earle was TDT’s sole Artistic Director from 1987-1994, and gave his last TDT performances in December 1996. In 1997 he launched Dancetheatre David Earle, a vehicle to nurture new dance creation, his own and that of choreographers who share his ardent humanism. He has since started a whole new dance scenario, creating more than thirty new works by commission, in collaboration with symphonies and other musical ensembles, and animating new venues for dance performance. He established Temple Studios, a centre for dance creation and teaching, in Guelph, Ontario in 2001. David Earle continues to be sought after as an inspirational teacher. In 1996 he was awarded the Order of Canada. Queen’s University, Kingston, awarded him an Honorary Doctor of Laws on June 3, 2005, acknowledging his active belief that the arts are essential to life, and to the future of the planet.