Collection search - Celia Franca fonds [multiple media]

Record information – Brief
1
Celia Franca fonds [multiple media]

Hierarchical level:

Fonds

Date:

1919-2007.

Reference:

R4290-0-2-E, MG31-D113

Type of material:

Textual material, Photographs, Art, Objects (including medals and pins)

Found in:

Archives / Collections and Fonds

Item ID number:

103696

Context of this record:

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Celia Franca fonds
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Record information – Details
Fonds includes:

16 lower level description(s)
View lower level description(s)

Date(s):

1919-2007.

Place of creation:

Canada

Extent:

14.305 m of textual records.
2964 photographs : 1967 b&w, 833 col., 57 digital scans, 58 polaroids, 7 negatives, 1 col. slide, 4 contact sheets.
265 drawings : pen and ink, pencil, watercolour.
4 prints : 1 offset lithograph, 2 serigraph, 1 etching.
6 pins : 5 lapel.
1 reproduction.
2 watercolours.
8 medals : 4 bronze, 2 gold, 2 enameled.
1 plaque.
3 medallions : 2 silver, 1 three-dimensional.
1 print : poster.

Language of material:

English

Accession:

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Celia Franca fonds [multiple media]

Scope and content:

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Fonds consists of personal papers and National Ballet of Canada files of Celia Franca, including the following series: Personal material; Notes; Notes, notebooks and calendars; Correspondence; Subject files; National Ballet of Canada; National Ballet of Canada: A Celebration; Programmes; Memorabilia; Printed material; Publishing and biographical material; Publicity and clippings; and Honours series, n.d., 1919-2007.

The fonds contains photographs including snapshots, portraits, and production shots relating to family, friends, and the career of Celia Franca taken in South Africa, Britain, Europe, China, the United States, and Canada, [ca. 1925]-2005.

Also included are National Ballet of Canada posters; costume sketches for Canadian Ballet companies, including the National Ballet of Canada; and set designs for various ballets and a 1953 Gala Performance, 1952-[ca. 1984].

Material received upon her death in 2007 includes accruals to the above-mentioned series as well as book publishing files, material relating to National Ballet costume designer Kay Ambrose, and an Honours series. Also added are a large number of photographic albums and professional, personal and informal photographs.

Provenance:

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Franca, Celia, 1921?-2007

Biography/Administrative history:

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Franca, Celia, 1921?-2007 : Celia Franca was born in London, England, in 1921 and studied dance at the Guildhall School of Music and the Royal Academy of Dancing. She made her debut in London in 1936 and became a soloist with the Ballet Rambert 1936-1938. She was the leading dramatic dancer at Sadler's Wells 1941-1946, a dancer and teacher with Ballet Jooss 1947, and ballet mistress and leading dancer with the Metropolitan Ballet 1947-1949. She choreographed a number of ballets, including Dance of Salomé 1949 and Eve of St. Agnes 1950 for BBC-TV.

In 1950, Celia Franca attended the Canadian Ballet Festival in Montréal at the invitation of a group of Canadians interested in establishing a national ballet company in Canada. She was persuaded to return in 1951 to found and direct the National Ballet of Canada in Toronto. She was a principal dancer with the company until 1959, the year she co-founded the National Ballet School with Betty Oliphant, and its artistic director until 1974. She choreographed a number of ballets for the National Ballet, including versions of The Nutcracker and Cinderella. Under her leadership, the National Ballet developed into an internationally acclaimed ballet company.

After retiring from the National Ballet, Franca settled in Ottawa where her husband, James Morton, was a clarinetist with the National Arts Centre Orchestra. She continued to be active in dance, working as a guest teacher and choreographer with various companies including the Joffrey Ballet in New York and the New Orleans Ballet. She was a founding member of the Board of Directors of the Theatre Ballet of Canada and associated with the School of Dance (Ottawa). She travelled to China in 1978 and 1980 at the invitation of the Chinese government to teach dance. Between 1982 and 1990 she gave lectures and talks on dance at the University of Ottawa.

Franca received many awards and honours in recognition of her contributions to dance in Canada. She was appointed Officer of the Order of Canada in 1967 and was elevated to the rank of Companion in 1985. She was awarded the Molson Prize in 1974. She has received honorary degrees from many Canadian universities, including Mount Allison 1966, Bishop's 1967, University of Toronto 1974, Dalhousie 1976 and York 1976. She was a member of the jury of the 5th International Ballet Competition in Varna, Bulgaria 1970 and of the 2nd International Ballet Competition in Moscow 1973. She was a member of the Canada Council 1983-1988.

Celia Franca was the author of a history of the National Ballet, The National Ballet of Canada: a Celebration (1978), featuring the photographs of Canadian photographer Ken Bell. She was the focus of a 2006 film biography entitled "Tour de Force" by former National Ballet principal Veronica Tennant.

Celia Franca died in Ottawa in 2007.

Finding aid:

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Textual records (Electronic) The electronic copy of the Finding aid lists containers 1-69. MSS1343 (90: Open)
http://data2.archives.ca/pdf/pdf001/p000000207.pdf

Photographs: (Paper) See "photographic inventories, indexes, and caption lists arranged by accession number". Researchers should consult the Photographs series description. FA-500 (90: Open)

Drawings: (Electronic) Item level description on line. (90: Open)

Photographs: (Electronic) Please refer to Photographs series for a finding aid relating to photographs in volumes 80 to 88 (photos received in 2007). (90: Open)

Additional information:

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General note:

Received in 1981 and 1992 from Celia Franca of Ottawa, and from her Estate upon her death in 2007.

Arrangement note:

The original arrangement of the papers has been maintained as much as possible. There is consequently a certain amount of overlap from one series to another, and the researcher should be careful to check all likely series for any particular subject.

Additional material received in 2007 was only loosely arranged but original folder titles have been maintained.
Subject heading:

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Art Canada

Dancers - Canada, 1919-1981 National Ballet of Canada, 1956-1981

Choreographers - Canada, 1919-1981 National Ballet of Canada: A Celebration 1942-1981

Ballet - Canada, 1919, 1937-1981 James Morton, 1977-1980

Ballet - England, 1919, 1937-1981

National Ballet of Canada - Administration, 1954-1981

Dance - Canada
Source:

Private

Related control no.:

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120-020013-6
120-020079-9
1982-107 PIC
1982-256 NPC
1992-0124 MSS
1992/0124
1993-259 DAP
2007-00596-4
93-102
MG31-D113

Former archival reference no.:

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MG31-D113
Ordering and viewing options

Conditions of access:

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Access restriction document

http://data2.archives.ca/pdf/pdf001/r000000550.pdf

Textual records

[Consultation96 Restrictions vary]

Finding aid box [FA 1343] 111

[Consultation 10 Closed]

Graphic (photo)

[Consultation96 Restrictions vary]

Graphic (art)

[Consultation96 Restrictions vary]

Box [1993-259]

[Consultation 10 Closed]

A329 Item no. assigned by LAC 1--3

[Consultation 10 Closed]

Object

[Consultation90 Open]
Medallic objects. No circulation. Supervised consultation by a Specialized Media archivist.

Volume [R4290] 89

[Consultation 90 Open]

Graphic(photo): electronic

[Consultation96 Restrictions vary]

Terms of use:

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Photographs (Acc. No. 1982-256): No restrictions. Various copyright on items less than 50 years old. Copyright expired on items more than 50 years old.
Photographs (Acc. No. 1993-259): Restricted by the Estate of Celia Franca. Various copyright. Credit: Name of photographers / Library and Archives Canada.
Art: Copyright varies.

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