Creator Award

Lisa Rootsaert is an accomplished choreographer and dance educator who has shaped the artistic landscape of Camrose and beyond for over 25 years. As Artistic Director and senior instructor with the Camrose Academy of Dance, Lisa creates innovative choreography that blends technical precision with expressive storytelling. Her work spans tap, jazz, ballet, lyrical, musical theatre, acro, contemporary, and modern, and has been recognized with numerous choreography awards and championships across Canada and the United States.

Lisa’s artistry is rooted in a lifetime of training and professional engagement. She studied at the Allan Cozzubbo Academy of Dance in Calgary and extended her learning at training centres in Los Angeles, New York, Las Vegas, and across Western Canada. She has collaborated with professional companies including Alberta Ballet, Jörgen Ballet, and Victoria Ballet Company, preparing dancers to share the stage with world-class performers. Beyond her creative achievements, Lisa has made a lasting impact on her students, who consistently speak to the positive influence she has had on their growth as both artists and individuals. Through her choreography, leadership, and dedication to evolving her craft, she has fostered a legacy of dance that continues to inspire.

Since graduating from Camrose Composite High School in 1987, and earning a Bachelor of fine Arts from University of Calgary in 1994, Steve Mitts has developed his unique style in acrylics on wood panels, stretch paper and other media. Early in his career, Steve developed a series exploring his fascination with Renaissance themes and concepts. This work garnered significant attention in that it led to a six-year solo exhibition at the Hotel MacDonald in Edmonton where his work was noticed and acquired by many patrons of fine art. Since then, Steve’s art has reached across the country via countless projects and commissions.

In Steve’s own words “The pieces in my latest series all originated from something that once existed in another form” 100-year old grain bins and the wood they are made from comprise the components of Steve’s most recent paintings. As Steve has noted, “The frame, the segments and the very structure of my new paintings are made from the past. It is fitting that the subject matter of the Renaissance that has been the focus of my work for over 30 years, is now being explored and displayed in century old presentations.”   In the words of one patron, “Steve’s art is amazing and his technique incredible. His combination of canvas and wood that he is currently using is absolutely unique…every piece is an individual masterpiece.”

As a local artist presenting on the national stage, Steve is not only creating beautiful pieces that connect to our rural landscape and culture and will last for years to come but he is also inspiring others to be patrons of the arts, and artists themselves. Steve regularly contributes pieces to local organisations for their fundraising and gives of his time and design talents locally. He truly is an ambassador for the arts in Camrose!

Through a partnership forged between the UofA Augustana Faculty and the Camrose Association for Community Living, SingAble was founded in the autumn of 2018 by director and professor of music, Dr. Ardelle Ries and Central Alberta community builder, Dan Jensen.

With the motto “We Love to Sing Because We Are Able” and a vision constructed on theoretical pillars of inclusion, musical and singing identity, enable-ism, community music, and humanist wellbeing, SingAble warmly welcomes all individuals at all ages and stages of life and regardless of socioeconomic status to optimize physical, intellectual, cognitive, emotional, social, and spiritual development through music. SingAble values process over product, exploring the immense power of multigenerational communal singing enriched by participatory performance practices.