Diane Elizabeth Moore HALIFAX, NS - Moore, Diane Elizabeth - 52, passed away after complications from a brain tumour December 2, 2003 at the Victoria General Hospital, Halifax, Nova Scotia. Born in Halifax February 25, 1951, she was the daughter of Hazel (Brownhill) Moore and the late John R. Moore of Moncton, New Brunswick. Diane was involved in the professional Canadian dance scene for over twenty-five years and was respected and admired throughout the country as a person of high integrity, as well as a presenter and curator of national and international dance. She had a profound impact on the development of contemporary dance in Canada as a choreographer/dancer, and later as the founder and artistic director of the Eye Level Gallery New Dance Series and Live Art Productions, Her contribution to the arts community, her support and belief in the individual artist, her encouragement to emerging artists and companies, and her abilities to mentor, teach, manage, produce, present and constantly adapt, put Diane in a category of her own. She took risks, pushed the envelope, and opened new doors for many Canadian artists by providing opportunities and respecting artistic practices. She was a founding board member of the Candance Network, a pan Canadian organization of specialized dance presenters. For the Canada Council of the Arts she served three years on the national dance advisory, was on several pier assessment committees and was a frequent assessor. Diane served as a peer assessment committee member for the NS Arts Council, the NS Portia White Award, and the NB Arts Board, and was artistic advisor for the NS Cultural Sector Strategy Study. In 2002 Diane was a recipient of the Queen Elizabeth II Golden Jubilee Merit Award. Presently she is a nominee for the NB Arts Excellence Life Time Achievement Award in Dance and the NS Portia White Prize. Diane grew up and began her dance studies in Moncton NB. She studied Highland Dance with Sharon Forbes, winning several local and regional competitions. A skilled athlete, she played field hockey on the Moncton High School provincial champion team, the Mount Allison University team and the first New Brunswick Canada Games team (silver 1967). While attending Mount Allison University she was employed as a caseworker aid for NB Social Services in rural New Brunswick. After receiving her BA in Sociology from Carleton University she was employed to catalogue the native collection at the BC Museum of Anthropology in Victoria. In 1976 Diane returned to dance and became a founding member of the Halifax Dance Co-op Company, Nova Scotia's second modern dance company. During this time and later as an independent dance artist, she choreographed, performed, and taught throughout Nova Scotia, Newfoundland, Labrador, Prince Edward Island, New Brunswick, British Columbia and the United States. In addition to teaching modern dance technique, improvisation, composition, and contact improvisation, she was nationally and internationally instrumental in the introduction of Somatics, a bodymind approach to movement, within dance technique training, choreographic research, and injury prevention and rehabilitation. Somatic Movement Techniques are now standard elements within professional dance companies and university dance departments' creative and educational processes. As a dance artist Diane's work always stood out. At the Second Atlantic Choreographers Showcase in Halifax 1982 the premier performance of her choreography 'Squad' brought the audience to their feet in a spontaneous cheering standing ovation. In 1982 Diane expanded her creative process to include artistic direction, and began the 'Eye Level Gallery New Dance Series' in Halifax. This series became the non-profit charitable organization 'Live Art Productions' in 1992 and now, Live Art is the leading presenter of contemporary Dance in Atlantic Canada and one of the top national presenters. Throughout her years of creative process, and striving to better the conditions and standards of artistic excellence for dance and dance artists, Diane dealt with considerable health challenges. During these illnesses Diane continued to work. A week before her death she was over viewing the production of Live Art's 2003-2004 season, future programming, the relocation of the company office, and the establishment of a strategic plan to ensure the continuity of Live Art Productions. She was a practicing member of the Soka Gakkai (society for the creation of value) the lay organization of Nichiren Daishonin's Buddhism. SGI is dedicated to the pursuit of world peace through culture, education, and promoting absolute respect for the dignity of life, based upon the life-philosophy of Buddhism. Diane's spirit was immensely positive and she met life's adversities with a sense of compassion and humour. She was an inspiration and mentor for all who came in touch with her within and beyond the world of dance. Diane is survived by her son Geoffrey Livingston; her devoted and dearly loved partner of eight years, Peter MacLean and his daughter Mariko; her mother Hazel Moore; and her brothers David and Richard Moore. Memorial services will be held 1:30pm, Friday December 5, at Cruikshank's Halifax Funeral Home, 2032 Robie Street. A Buddhist ceremony and memorial will be held December 10, 1:00 - 4:00 pm at the Lord Nelson Hotel. All are welcome.