DD WOMEN ACHIEVER 2017 AWARDS DECLARED.
Toronto: Dancing Damsels today announced the Life Time Achievement Award to Dr. Roberta Bondar & Dr. Menaka Thakkar for their lifetime achievements and lifelong contribution to the community. The awards will be presented at the Toronto International Women’s day celebrations which will be held on Saturday March 18th, at the Toronto City Hall (100 Queen Street West, Toronto, ON M5H 2N2).
As the world’s first neurologist in space, Dr. Roberta Bondar is globally recognized for her pioneering contribution to space medicine research. Aboard the Space Shuttle Discovery mission STS-42 in 1992, she conducted experiments in the first International Microgravity Laboratory, a precursor to the International Space Station.
For more than a decade at NASA, Dr. Bondar headed an international space medicine research team finding new connections between astronauts recovering from the microgravity of space and neurological illnesses here on Earth such as stroke and Parkinson’s disease. These research techniques have been used in clinical studies at the B. I. Deaconess Medical Center, a teaching hospital of Harvard Medical School and at the University of New Mexico.
A true renaissance woman, Dr. Bondar was trained in professional nature and landscape photography, and is an acclaimed photographer of the natural wonders of our planet. As an author, environmental educator and celebrated landscape photographer, Dr. Bondar has also earned a reputation as a leading speaker and consultant within the medical and scientific communities, and in the field of corporate social responsibility and care for the Earth’s environment.
Dr. Menaka Thakkar is the first Indian dancer to receive the Canada council Walter Carsen Prize for the excellence in Performing Arts and the Governor General’s Award for Lifetime Achievement in dance. She is also the first Indian dance artist to have received an honorary doctorate from York University where she taught as Adjunct Professor in the dance department for several decades.
She has been a major figure in Canada’s dance landscape, where she has created a several generations of Indian dancers across the country, in the classical systems of Bharatanatyam and Odissi. As a choreographer, she has created a large number of original works and successfully experimented with new forms, movement and dance vocabulary, thus making fundamental contributions to the development of neoclassical and contemporary forms of Indian dance.
Her own performances have ranged internationally over a large number of cities and countries in a brilliant 50 year performing career. She became a leading voice for obtaining funding support for Indian dance as a classical art form from the Canada Council for the Arts.
Almas Jiwani, President of UN Women Canada National Committee and CEO of Almas Jiwani Foundation will be the chief guest of the event to give the key note speech . Almas Jiwani is a fiercely vocal champion for gender equality. She is internationally renowned for her efforts to encourage women’s social, economic, and political empowerment. She spearheads initiatives where corporate growth intersects with humanitarian development.
A model of perseverance and determination, Ms. Jiwani’s efforts to strengthen women’s economic capacity as entrepreneurs and producers have earned her accolades. She plays a crucial role in building networks among charitable institutions and socially responsible businesses.
Ms. Jiwani is a powerful and influential speaker and she continues to travel across the globe to deliver keynote addresses, speeches, and presentations on improving the status of women. She addressed over 400 parliamentarians from 42 countries on the benefits of economically empowering women and the roles and responsibilities of parliamentarians at the International Assembly in the Dominican Republic and Quebec City.
Dancing Damsels, an incorporated non-profit multicultural arts promotions company for women empowerment, is set to celebrate IWD 2017 as a DD Women Achievers Award Gala with vivid programs to make it a resplendent event.
As a part of the IWD celebrations, they have declared the winners for the Women Achiever Awards 2017, which is the highest honor conferred by Dancing Damsels to women whose outstanding achievement has made a difference in the community.
Successful women from the fields of Politics, Music, Community Leadership, Volunteering, Performing Arts, Science & Technology, Hospitality, Sports, Literature, Business, Media & Communication, and Healthcare come under the purview of the award.
Other than the life time achievement awards, the following are winners of DD Women Achievers 2017: Mary Jeyaseeli Inpanayakam – Owner, Ambika Jewellers, Sylvia Francis – Founder of North America’s Leading Tamil Music Band AGNI, Elsa Hsieh – Performing Artists, Music Conductor & Founder of Dolce De Soleil Music Group, Manoshi Chatterjee – Author, Poet, Singer, Music Composer, Elocutionist & TV Show Host of “Cultural Journey with Manoshi”, Enakshi Sinha – Award Winning Performer, Choreographer, Art Educator, Malika Mounir – President ARGANA- Association des femmes maroco-canadiennes, Dr.Vasundara Venkateswaran – Scientist, Research Director & Associate Professor, Ann Buller – CEO & President of Centennial College, Sasha Brathwaite – Program Director Let’s Jam Percussive & Creative Movement, Josephine Bau – Founder & Past Chair of Peel Chinese Community Service Hub, Bhavna Bhatnagar – Ceramic Artist & Director Ceramic Expressions Toronto and Mariatu Kamara – UNICEF Special Representative, Author & Survivor of the civil war in Sierra Leone.
This year, the theme of the celebrations is “Be Bold for Change”. There will be entertainment programs; delicious food; international stalls and exhibitions as part of this celebration. This is a FREE event by RSVP only.
The main sponsor of the event is PAZ VIRREY of SunLife Financial. Other sponsors are Chaitanya Health Services, Woodlands Dental Center, Vijaya Jeevarakshagan (RBC IS), CLN Mortgages and Inforce Life Financial Services.
Background information: www.ddshows.com
Contact: Mary Ashok (Managing Director) Phone: 416.788.6412; Email: md@ddshows.com
ABOUT DANCING DAMSELS INC.
Dancing Damsels Inc. is an incorporated non-profit organization for Multi Cultural Arts Promotions and Women Empowerment, established in 2013.
The main objectives of the company are to Promote Cultural Art & Cultural Exchange; Empower women to exercise equal opportunities; Appreciate women successes and achievements; Celebrate Womanhood and Motherhood; and Encourage women to pursue their dreams and aspirations.
The organization uphold its objectives by organizing events and activities like International Women’s Day; Mothers Day; International Music Festival and International Dance Festival yearly.
INTERNATIONAL WOMEN’S DAY
International Women’s Day (IWD) is celebrated on March 8 every year. In different regions the focus of the celebrations ranges from general celebration of respect, appreciation and love towards women for their economic, political and social achievements.
Report by: Jaison Mathew CMN
