Celia Franca (1921-2007).Celia Franca Celia Franca, CC (June 25 1921 – February 19 2007) was the founder of The National Ballet of Canada (1951) and its artistic director for 24 years ([1]). (1921-2007) By the end of her life Celia Franca, founder of the National Ballet of Canada National Ballet of Canada, the leading Canadian ballet company. Based in Toronto, it was founded (1951) by Celia Franca (1921–2007) and modeled on Sadler's Wells (now the Royal Ballet). , had become a beloved cultural icon, but those who'd worked with her can still recall the terror she struck in them. "She was all about standards," says NBC NBC in full National Broadcasting Co. Major U.S. commercial broadcasting company. It was formed in 1926 by RCA Corp., General Electric Co. (GE), and Westinghouse and was the first U.S. company to operate a broadcast network. artistic director Karen Kain. "That's what made her ferocious, but we still adored her." Born Celia Franks to a working class London family, she studied at the Royal Academy of Dancing and later with Antony Tudor and Kurt Jooss. Under her stage name, Franca danced with Ballet Rambert, the Sadler's Wells Ballet (now The Royal Ballet), and other companies. By the time she left for Canada in 1951, she was an acclaimed dramatic dancer and had choreographed for the BBC's first television ballets. Until her retirement from NBC in 1975, Franca battled successfully against the odds to establish a classical ballet repertory company. She staged many classics on a tight budget until the 1960s when she could afford such lavish productions as John Cranko's Romeo and Juliet Romeo and Juliet star-crossed lovers die as teenagers. [Br. Lit.: Romeo and Juliet] See : Death, Premature Romeo and Juliet archetypal star-crossed lovers. [Br. Lit. , and Erik Bruhn's stagings of La Sylphide and Swan Lake. She achieved international success with Nureyev's 1972 Sleeping Beauty Sleeping Beauty sleeps for 100 years. [Fr. Fairy Tale, The Sleeping Beauty] See : Enchantment Sleeping Beauty enchanted heroine awakened from century of slumber by prince’s kiss. . Though sometimes criticized for neglecting Canadian talent, Franca launched choreographic workshops, fostering the work of such company choreographers as Grant Strate and James Kudelka. In 1959 Franca founded the National Ballet School The National Ballet School of Canada is located in Toronto, Ontario. The National provides a full-time program which combines classical ballet training with academic education from Grades 6 through 12 at its boarding school. , which under principal Betty Oliphant has developed into a world-class training institution. |
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