THE UNOFFICIAL NATIONAL BALLET OF CANADA PAGE

Books about the National Ballet

Before I begin, the following is a brief list of resources where the information on this page can be found and verified:

1. Franca Celia, Bell Ken, The National Ballet of Canada: A Celebration
University of Toronto Press, Toronto, Buffalo, London
1978

2. Karen Kain, with Stephen Godfrey and Penelope Reed Doob, Movement Never Lies; An Autobiography
McClelland & Stewart, Toronto
1994

3. Neufeld James, Power to Rise
University of Toronto Press, Toronto, Buffalo, London
1996

Some Company History

Prior to 1950 Ballet had no grounding in Canada, which resulted in Canadian Dancers going elsewhere. There were several teachers, but no opportunity for a dancer to remain in Canada and still be able to dance. In 1938, Gwweneth Lloyd and Betty Oliphant came to Winnipeg, founding the Winnipeg Ballet club (which later became the Royal Winnipeg Ballet), Betty Oliphant founded the National Ballet School, and so it began.

Enter Celia Franca. (Above) She was a dramatic balletrina at Sadler's WElls in England, and in 1950 she was invited to Canada to judge the possibilities of forming a professional dance company. Franca felt that she could unify Canadian ballet and make it national. She had connections with the Diaghilev tradition, and she relied on collegues like Erik Bruhn and Anthony Tudor for repertoire. An alliance was formed between Franca and Oliphant, and together they set about forming the National Ballet of Canada.

further history.
Some helpful ballet terms
Swan Lake Page
Ballet Photo Gallery
Musings
First Page

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