Celia Franca, 85, Dies
Celia Franca, the London-born founder of the National Ballet of Canada and a pioneering figure in Canadian dance, died recently in Ottawa. She was 85. Her death followed a series of falls that had left her bedridden.
Miss Franca came to Canada in 1950 at the invitation of some Toronto arts patrons and members of the city's business community who hoped to form a company there. Miss Franca persevered with her project, making plans and auditioning dancers. The National Ballet of Canada made its debut on Nov. 12, 1951, at Eaton's Auditorium in Toronto.
She became a dance student at the Guildhall School of Music and in 1936 joined Ballet Rambert, a London company known for developing new choreographers. Among them was Antony Tudor, who encouraged her.
Miss Franca moved on to the Sadler's Wells Ballet (forerunner of today's Royal Ballet) in 1941, then in 1947 became a dancer and ballet mistress of the Metropolitan Ballet, an enterprising but short-lived London group.
In Toronto Miss Franca called upon some of the choreographers she had worked with in England, including Tudor and John Cranko, commissioned ballets by Canadian choreographers, including Mr. Strate, and offered 19th-century classics, including a "Swan Lake" staged by Erik Bruhn and a scenically elaborate "Sleeping Beauty" staged by Rudolf Nureyev.
After directing the National Ballet for more than 20 years, she decided to share the directorate with David Haber in the 1973-74 season. After that, she stepped down and moved to Ottawa, where she founded the School of Dance, Ottawa. The National Ballet dedicated its 2005-6 season to her.