National Ballet of Canada

The National Ballet of Canada is Canada's largest ballet troupe. It was founded by Celia Franca in 1959 and is based in Toronto, Ontario.

Related Topics:
Ballet - Celia Franca - 1959 - Toronto, Ontario

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The NBC's first performance was in the Eaton Auditorium (Now the Carlu theatre). In 1964 the NBC adopted the 3200-seat O'Keefe Centre (now Hummingbird Centre) in Toronto as its home venue. It plans to move again, in 2006, to the new Four Seasons Centre.

Related Topics:
Carlu theatre - Hummingbird Centre - 2006 - Four Seasons Centre

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Rudolf Nureyev danced with the company in 1965 and in 1972. He raised the troupe?s level of professionalism and staged a spectacular version of The Sleeping Beauty which gained the company international prestige.

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On June 23, 2005, the company announced that former principal ballerina Karen Kain would replace James Kudelka as artistic director http://toronto.cbc.ca/regional/servlet/View?filename=to-kain20050623.

Related Topics:
June 23 - 2005 - Karen Kain - James Kudelka

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Despite suffering under a history of government funding cuts and economic recessions, the NBC has garnered respect and admiration by commissioning many original works from prominent choreographers, mounting lavish productions of 20th-century and classical repertoire, and by successful international tours.

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