Celia Franca

Celia Franca (aka: Celia Franks, born June 25, 1921 in London, † February 19, 2007 in Ottawa ) was a Canadian choreographer, ballet dancer and teacher of English origin.

Franca began her ballet training at the age of four years and studied at the Guildhall School of Music and the Royal Academy of Dancing. She made her debut in London in 1936, came, inter alia, including with the Ballet Rambert, Sadler 's Wells Ballet and the Metropolitan Ballet, and choreographed two ballets for television sdas the BBC.

In 1951, she came at the suggestion of Ninette de Valois to Toronto, where he founded a ballet company, later National Ballet of Canada, which she ran until 1974. For training the next generation for their ballet she founded with Betty Oliphant 1959, the Canada's National Ballet School. Overall, she realized more than thirty ballets in which they participated and international dancers and choreographers. They undertook with the National Ballet tours through Canada, the USA, Mexico, Japan and Europe and also choreographed shows for the television of the CBC.

From 1974, Franca with her husband to Ottawa, but remained active as a dancer and teacher. She danced at a gala screening of the National Ballet in 1977 and taught in 1978 and 1980 in China. From 1978 until her death she worked at The School of Dance in Ottawa. In 1985 she was awarded the Companion of the Order of Canada, also she received for her contribution to the art of dance to the Order of Ontario.