11 Facts About Celia Franca

Celia Franca was a co-founder of The National Ballet of Canada and its artistic director for 24 years.

Celia Franca began to study dance at the age of four and was a scholarship student at the Guildhall School of Music and the Royal Academy of Dance.

Celia Franca successfully auditioned for Marie Rambert's ballet company in 1936.

Celia Franca changed her name to Franca in emulation of Alicia Marks, who changed hers to Alicia Markova.

Celia Franca entered into the first of three marriages, to fellow dancer Leo Kersley.

In 1950, a group of Toronto balletomanes asked Celia Franca, who had come to Canada to attend a festival, to start a Canadian classical company; she did so in the very short time of 10 months.

In 1979 Celia Franca joined Merrilee Hodgins and Joyce Shietze as a Co-Artistic Director to The School of Dance in Ottawa, a non-profit organization designed to provide professional training for dance.

Celia Franca lived in Ottawa and 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 Franca continued her association with the National Ballet, revising works for the company, including Offenbach in the Underworld and staging The Nutcracker.

Celia Franca returned to the company to produce a 35th Anniversary Gala Performance at Toronto's O'Keefe Centre.

In 1994, Celia Franca received a Governor General's Performing Arts Award for Lifetime Artistic Achievement.