Leigh Brewer ONZM: A Life Lived Through Dance
10 October 1933 - 26 April 2013
by Sheridan Bruce
Leigh loved dance. It was more than merely an art form or skill to be learnt. It was the essence of her life, in her dreams and in every waking moment. Life for Leigh was simply a continuous enchainement of choreographed steps and moves performed to the music which surrounded her. Leigh’s love of dance was only matched by her love for her daughters Nicki Brewer-Mann and Belinda Mann (deceased).
Two weeks before Leigh passed away her passion to create movement and dance was alive and well. Learning and teaching the art and movement of dance positively engulfed Leigh and was the pattern of her life to the very end.
The talents and contributions of this amazing woman were recognized in the 2001 Queens Birthday Honours when Leigh was awarded Officer of the New Zealand Order of Merit (ONZM) for service to Theatre and Dance. And for the hundreds of dancers Leigh ‘touched’, she will always be remembered and recognised for giving them the confidence to express the emotion of dance which is within each one of us.
Read the full article (Iss. 33) Leigh Brewer