Celia Franca

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 ( [http://www.canada.com/ottawacitizen/news/story.html?id=6384de00-8cbf-4e6d-b7af-cc174899f90c&k=89472] ).

Born Celia Franks in London, England, the daughter of an East End tailor, she began to study dance at the age of 4 and was a scholarship student at the Guildhall School of Music and the Royal Academy of Dance. She made her professional debut aged 14. She caught the attention of choreographer Walter Gore and successfully auditioned for Marie Rambert's ballet company in 1936. She changed her name to Franca in emulation of Alice Marks, who changed hers to Alicia Markova. [Obituary, "Jewish Chronicle", Apr 13 2007, p.20]

In 1941, aged 20, she was recognized as one of the finest dramatic ballerinas in the Sadler's Wells company. In 1947 she joined the Metropolitan Ballet as a soloist and ballet mistress. It was there that she began choreographing for television, creating the first two ballets - Eve of St. Agnes and Dance of Salomé - ever commissioned by the BBC.

In 1950, a group of Toronto balletomanes asked Franca to start a Canadian classical company. A determined woman who thrived on challenges, she did the impossible in only 10 months - while supporting herself as a file clerk at Eaton's department store, she recruited and trained dancers, staged some Promenade Concerts, organized a summer school, gathered a talented artistic staff and whipped her uneven but enthusiastic new company into shape for its opening on November 12 1951.

She and Betty Oliphant founded the National Ballet School of Canada in 1959 to provide exceptional dancers for the Company. During her years with the National Ballet and since her retirement, Celia was recognized at home and abroad.

In 1978 Celia Franca, Merrilee Hodgins and Joyce Shietze opened The School of Dance in Ottawa as a nationally registered, educational, charitable, non-profit organization designed to provide professional training for dance.

Celia lived in Ottawa and, among many commitments, was a Co-Artistic Director of The School of Dance, a member of the board of governors of York University and the board of directors of the Canada Council and later served on the Board of Directors for the Canada Dance Festival Society.

Celia continued her association with the National Ballet, revising works for the Company such as "Offenbach" in the Underworld (1983) and staging "The Nutcracker". She returned to the Company to produce a 35th Anniversary Gala Performance at Toronto's O'Keefe Centre.

In 1967, she was made an Officer of the Order of Canada and was promoted to Companion in 1985.

For the past year she had been in poor health after breaking vertebrae in her back. She died on February 19 2007, aged 85, in an Ottawa Hospital.

References

she started dancing at the age of 4

External links

* [http://www.national.ballet.ca/about.php?nboc/historical-chronology The National Ballet of Canada]
* [http://www.nbs-enb.ca/ The National Ballet School of Canada]
* [http://www.national.ballet.ca/about.php?company/artistic-staff/celia_franca-bio2 Celia Franca's Biography on the National Ballet of Canada website]
* [http://www.national.ballet.ca/about.php?company/artistic-staff/celia_franca-images Image gallery on the National Ballet of Canada website]
* [http://www.celiafranca.com/ Celia Franca home page]
* [http://www.celiafrancafoundation.com/ The Celia Franca Foundation]
* [http://www.theschoolofdance.ca/ The School of Dance in Ottawa]
* [http://www.national.ballet.ca/mediaRelease.php?20070219-1 The National Ballet of Canada Mourns Celia Franca]
* [http://www.cbc.ca/arts/theatre/story/2007/02/19/celia-franca-obit.html CBC Obituary]
* [http://www.theglobeandmail.com/servlet/story/RTGAM.20070219.wfranca0219/BNStory/Entertainment/home Obituary on the Globe & Mail]
* [http://lnx.whipart.it/html/articolo-2746.html Vite a passo di danza: Celia Franca dal sito whipart]


Wikimedia Foundation. 2010.

Игры ⚽ Нужен реферат?

Look at other dictionaries:

  • Celia Franca — Celia Franca, O.C., C.C., (née Celia Franks à Londres le 25 juin 1921 et morte à Ottawa le 19 février 2007), est une danseuse de ballet, chorégraphe et directrice artistique canadienne d origine britannique. Après une… …   Wikipédia en Français

  • Celia — Célia Cette page d’homonymie répertorie les différents sujets et articles partageant un même nom. Célia est un prénom féminin. En 2004, c était un des prénoms les plus souvent donnés (23e prénom féminin cette année là)[1]. La fête usuelle est le… …   Wikipédia en Français

  • Celia (given name) — Infobox Given Name Revised name = Celia imagesize= caption= pronunciation= gender = meaning = region = origin = related names = footnotes = Celia is a given name for females, as well as a nickname for Cecilia, Celeste, or Celestina. Variants… …   Wikipedia

  • Célia — Cette page d’homonymie répertorie les différents sujets et articles partageant un même nom. Célia est un prénom féminin. En 2004, c était un des prénoms les plus souvent donnés (23e prénom féminin cette année là)[1]. La fête usuelle est le 22… …   Wikipédia en Français

  • Celia Gámez — Saltar a navegación, búsqueda Celia Gámez (25 de agosto de 1905 en Buenos Aires 10 de diciembre de 1992), fue una actriz considerada española, aunque nació en Buenos Aires, probablemente en 1905 y murió en esta ciudad en 1992. Contenido 1… …   Wikipedia Español

  • Franca, Celia — ▪ 2008 Celia Franks        British born Canadian dancer, choreographer, and artistic director born June 25, 1921 , London, Eng. died Feb. 19, 2007 , Ottawa, Ont. in 1951founded the National Ballet of Canada, which she led until 1974. Franca began …   Universalium

  • The National Ballet School of Canada — Address 400 Jarvis St Toronto, Ontario, M4Y 2G6 …   Wikipedia

  • National Ballet of Canada — The National Ballet of Canada is Canada s largest ballet troupe. It was founded by Celia Franca in 1951 and is based in Toronto, Ontario. Based upon the unity of Canadian trained dancers in the tradition and style of England s Royal Ballet, The… …   Wikipedia

  • performing arts — arts or skills that require public performance, as acting, singing, or dancing. [1945 50] * * * ▪ 2009 Introduction Music Classical.       The last vestiges of the Cold War seemed to thaw for a moment on Feb. 26, 2008, when the unfamiliar strains …   Universalium

  • David Adams (dancer) — David Adams Born November 16, 1928(1928 11 16) Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada Died October 24, 2007(2007 10 24) (aged 78) Stony Plain, Alberta, Canada David Adams …   Wikipedia

Share the article and excerpts

Direct link
… Do a right-click on the link above
and select “Copy Link”