In mid -April, a former dancer at the Royal Winnipeg Ballet was the victim of homicide in Ottawa. She is now remembered by loved ones for her community work and contribution to the Canadian dance world.
Richard Rutherford was 87 when found dead on April 15 at a residence on the street Smith.
A 69-year-old Ottawa man has been charged with second degree murder in this case.
It was a big shock for meSarah’s launch Evansfriend of mr. Rutherford. I think for people who know him well, it’s hard to hear what happened.
He works for Mr. Rutherford for five years on the board of directors of the Canadian Monument for Human Rights, a position that has occupied a large part of the dancer’s life.
He worked to get plaques with native languages at the monument on Elgin Street and have a dance troupe perform there every year.
He was one of the best people I have ever met in my lifeemphasizes Ms. Evans.
She remembers talking to him about his life growing up in the southern United States before moving on New York then to Winnipeg before going to Ottawa, where he spent a significant part of his life.
One thing that struck me was how much he attached to Canada and the places he lived-and how much he loved Ottawa and the people who live there.mention of Ms. Evans. He is very connected to the community.
Since her death, she has emailed her other friends to hear stories and find out how they remember her.
He always wants others to succeed. He was very discreethe said, while adding that Mr. Rutherford supported the cultural and community environment.
Raising standards at the Royal Winnipeg Ballet
Artistic Director and President and CEO of the Royal Winnipeg Ballet, André Lewis, met Mr. Rutherford in 1975 when he was attending ballet school.
At that time, Mr. Lewis spoke only French. He says that Mr. Rutherford, who is an associate director, was very patient with him. They ended up working together for two years.
He is very polite indeed […] and very positivehe put on an interview on the show All In One Day ng CBC.
Richard raised organizational standards through quality – certainly of his dancing – and later, through the quality of his training.
Mr. Lewis has only seen videos of Mr. Rutherford when he was a dancer.
He was definitely energetic. He definitely has a stage presence. He is really a very handsome mancontinued Mr. Lewis. You can immediately tell how much he loves public relations.
Lord. Rutherford later moved to Ottawa, took a job with the Canadian Council for the Arts.
The two men, however, continued to interact while Mr. Rutherford is returning to the Royal Winnipeg Ballet for events. Whenever Mr. Lewis came to dance in Ottawa, Mr. Rutherford met the dancers backstage.
They last met before the COVID-19 pandemic, Lewis said.
With information from CBC
Source: Radio-Canada