Made possible by The Gartner Family and friends, this new fund honours the memory of Miss Rochelle, one of the very first students to graduate with a dance degree from the University of Calgary in 1997. A talented performer, exceptional, dance, educator, and dedicated leader in the Calgary dance community. 

As of 2024, the award is offered annually at Dance@Night to a continuing undergraduate student in their final year of Bachelor of Fine Arts in Dance, who demonstrated outstanding creative, compositional and directorial ability in the making of choreographic work. 

The awardee is selected by recommendation of supervising faculty from the Division of Dance at The University of Calgary.

Awarded yearly to a graduating BFA student having distinguished themselves in choreographic research over the course of their studies with us, the Rochelle Gartner Memorial Award is made possible by the Gartner family and its friends. It is intended to inspire its recipient to maintain their creative curiosity as they transition away from the structure of an undergraduate degree.  

Scholarship Recipient Response: 2025

April 9th, 2025,  To The Gartner Family:

My name is Jenna Wadden and I will be graduating from the University of Calgary’s Bachelor of Fine Arts dance program this coming June. I wanted to thank all of you for the honour of being the Rochelle Gartner Memorial Award in Dance’s second recipient. I am writing to you all to let you know that I am so grateful to have the honour of carrying Rochelle’s legacy forward. 

I’ve watched the memorial video of Rochelle from backstage of the University Theatre every year since the award was first announced in 2023. Every single time, without fail, Rochelle’s joy for dance has exuded off the screen to capture my heart and remind me why I love to dance. Although I never met Rochelle, the interviews in the video have made it clear to me that she was a fearless leader. Rochelle understood the power of dance andnever stopped finding the joy, even as she bravely fought her cancer. 

As I prepare to leave the University of Calgary, I am so thankful to be joining Rochelle’s legacy. With the financial support of the award, I plan to continue creating, learning and most importantly finding the joy that dance brings. I aspire to choreograph and perform my own work one day and hope that I can inspire others the way that Rochelle has. From the bottom of my heart, thank you so much for all your support. I look forward to seeing you all on June 7th at the Calgary Brain Tumour Walk.

With Love, Jenna Wadden

2024 Winner  - Sierra Oszust 

The 1st Inaugural Recipient for The Rochelle Gartner

Memorial Award in Dance Endowment 

🏆💃 🎉

What a wonderful legacy to carry forward. 

Scholarship Recipient Response: 2024

To the Gartner family, 

I am honoured to be the first recipient of the Rochelle Gartner Memorial Award in Dance Endowment. I want to thank the Gartner family for their generosity in creating a way to carry on Rochelle's legacy and passion for dance. Rochelle remains an inspiration to all, and her spirit continues to live through her love of dance. Her continuous strength and positivity will be remembered in her impact on the dance community. I feel incredibly privileged and honoured to be able to continue her legacy with the support of the Gartner family. In my future career, I want to bring much joy and creativity to dance as Rochelle did. 

Sierra Oszust