David Peregrine, OC (September 19, 1954 – c. June 7, 1989) was a

Canadian Canadians (french: Canadiens) are people identified with the country of Canada. This connection may be residential, legal, historical or cultural. For most Canadians, many (or all) of these connections exist and are collectively the source of ...

dancer and actor.

Life

He was born David Alan Evans in Llay,

Wales Wales ( cy, Cymru ) is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is bordered by England to the east, the Irish Sea to the north and west, the Celtic Sea to the south west and the Bristol Channel to the south. It had a population in ...

and grew up in Ottawa. Peregrine studied ballet with

Nesta Toumine Nesta Toumine (October 28, 1912 – February 1, 1996 (pdf)) was a dancer, choreographer, artistic director and teacher in Canada. She was born Nesta Williams in Thornton Heath, Croydon, England, the daughter of Alfred Edward Williams and Agnes ...

in Ottawa, going on to study at the

Royal Winnipeg Ballet The Royal Winnipeg Ballet is Canada's oldest ballet company and the longest continuously operating ballet company in North America. History It was founded in 1939 as the "Winnipeg Ballet Club" by Gweneth Lloyd and Betty Farrally (who also fou ...

school with David Moroni and at the Banff School of Fine Arts. Evans adopted the stage name David Peregrine. He joined the Royal Winnipeg Ballet as a member of the corps in 1975, becoming soloist three years later and principal dancer in 1980, partnering with

Evelyn Hart Evelyn Anne Hart (born April 4, 1956) is a Canadian ballerina and former principal dancer with the Royal Winnipeg Ballet. Life and career Born in Toronto, Ontario, Hart studied dance at the Dorothy Carter School of Dance in London, Ontario, Can ...

. In 1980 he won a bronze medal at the International Ballet Competition in Varna, Bulgaria, performing the pas de deux from Norbert Vesak's ballet "Belong." Hart won a gold medal. In 1986, Peregrine was made an officer of the

Order of Canada The Order of Canada (french: Ordre du Canada; abbreviated as OC) is a Canadian state order and the second-highest honour for merit in the system of orders, decorations, and medals of Canada, after the Order of Merit. To coincide with the cen ...

. He performed two seasons with the

San Francisco Ballet San Francisco Ballet is the oldest ballet company in the United States, founded in 1933 as the San Francisco Opera Ballet under the leadership of ballet master Adolph Bolm. The company is currently based in the War Memorial Opera House, San Fra ...

and was a guest artist with the

Alberta Ballet Alberta Ballet (also known as the Alberta Ballet Company) was founded by Muriel Taylor and Dr. Ruth Carse in 1958 and became a professional company in 1966. The company is a resident company of both the Northern Alberta Jubilee Auditorium in Edmo ...

, Boston Ballet and

Scottish Ballet Scottish Ballet is the national ballet company of Scotland and one of the five leading ballet companies of the United Kingdom, alongside the Royal Ballet, English National Ballet, Birmingham Royal Ballet and Northern Ballet. Founded in 1969, ...

.David Peregrine, Arts Alive
/ref> Peregrine appeared as Smike in the play ''

Nicholas Nickleby ''Nicholas Nickleby'' or ''The Life and Adventures of Nicholas Nickleby'' (or also ''The Life and Adventures of Nicholas Nickleby, Containing a Faithful Account of the Fortunes, Misfortunes, Uprisings, Downfallings, and Complete Career of the ...

'' and the monster in ''

Frankenstein ''Frankenstein; or, The Modern Prometheus'' is an 1818 novel written by English author Mary Shelley. ''Frankenstein'' tells the story of Victor Frankenstein, a young scientist who creates a sapient creature in an unorthodox scientific ...

'' in productions by the Manitoba Theatre Centre. He died in a plane crash on June 7, 1989 after flying his small plane south from

Fairbanks, Alaska Fairbanks is a home rule city and the borough seat of the Fairbanks North Star Borough in the U.S. state of Alaska. Fairbanks is the largest city in the Interior region of Alaska and the second largest in the state. The 2020 Census put the p ...

. Due to bad weather, a rescue crew was only able to reach the site 8 days later. Two passengers -- a friend and his brother (Meirig Evans of Ottawa, b.1970) -- also died in the crash.

References

Entry from the Canadian Encyclopedia
{{DEFAULTSORT:Peregrine, David 1954 births 1989 deaths Canadian male ballet dancers Canadian male stage actors Officers of the Order of Canada Aviators killed in aviation accidents or incidents in the United States People from Wrexham County Borough Welsh emigrants to Canada 20th-century Canadian male actors Accidental deaths in Alaska Victims of aviation accidents or incidents in 1989