To seek perfection: honouring 25 years of the National Ballet of Canada
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Research CatalogView IIIF Manifest
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Title
To seek perfection: honouring 25 years of the National Ballet of Canada
Collection
National Ballet of Canada Video Archive
Names
Franca, Celia, 1921-2007 (Interviewee)
Whitehead, Pearl (Interviewee)
Tennant, Veronica (Interviewee)
Oliphant, Betty, 1918-2004 (Interviewee)
Harwood, Vanessa (Interviewee)
Goodman, Edwin A. (Interviewee)
Smith, Lois (Interviewee)
Jarvis, Lilian (Interviewee)
Leigh, Angela (Interviewee)
Crum, George, 1926- (Interviewee)
Grant, Alexander, 1925-2011 (Interviewee)
Geddes, Lorna (Interviewee)
Potts, Nadia (Interviewee)
Augustyn, Frank (Interviewee)
Kain, Karen (Interviewee)
Bruhn, Erik, 1928-1986 (Interviewee)
Schramek, Tomas (Interviewee)
Jago, Mary (Interviewee)
Nureyev, Rudolf, 1938-1993 (Interviewee)
Levene, Sam (Producer)
Levene, Sam (Director)
National Ballet of Canada (Dancer)
Canadian Broadcasting Corporation (Production company)
Date / Origin
Date Created: 1976
Place: Canada
Publisher: Canadian Broadcasting Corporation
Library Location
Jerome Robbins Dance Division
Shelf locator: *MGZIDF 8825
Shelf locator: *MGZIC 9-5496 (former)
Subjects
National Ballet of Canada
Ballet -- Canada -- 20th century
Dance companies -- Canada
Rehearsals
Genres
Television Programs
Filmed Dance
Filmed Performances
Interviews
Documentary Films
Motion Pictures
Notes
Statement Of Responsibility: a CBC Film Production ; produced and directed by Sam Levene.
Creation/Production Credits: Photography, Kenneth W. Gregg ; film editing, Ronald Sanders.
Performers: Interviewees: Celia Franca, Pearl (Mrs. R.B.) Whitehead, Veronica Tennant, Betty Oliphant, Vanessa Harwood, Eddie Goodman, Lois Smith, Lilian Jarvis, Angela Leigh, George Crum, Alexander Grant, Lorna Geddes, Nadia Potts, Frank Augustyn, Karen Kain, Erik Bruhn, Tomas Schramek, Mary Jago, Rudolf Nureyev.
Funding: Preservation of this video was supported by a grant from the National Historical Publications and Records Commission.
Physical Description
Extent: 1 videocassette (U-matic) (29 min.) : sound, color with black and white sequences ; 3/4 in.
Abstract
Retrospective of the first 25 years of the National Ballet of Canada, told in the words of a sampling of its founders, board members, dancers past and present, and guest artists and choreographers. Archival footage and photographs of the company's early rehearsals, tours, and performances are juxtaposed with scenes of its current principal dancers, seen in rehearsals of John Cranko's Romeo and Juliet, Frederick Ashton's La fille mal gardée, and the classics Coppélia and The sleeping beauty. Among the topics discussed are the company's formative years; touring and its role in popularizing ballet in Canada; and the contributions of various dancers, choreographers, and administrators (including Celia Franca, Alexander Grant, Erik Bruhn, and Rudolf Nureyev).
Languages
Identifiers
RLIN/OCLC: NYPY97-F526
NYPL Catalog ID (bnumber): b13303679
Universal Unique Identifier (UUID): 4438e4e0-85b1-0135-a840-0f364bf4badf
Rights
The copyright and related rights status of this item has been reviewed by The New York Public Library, but we were unable to make a conclusive determination as to the copyright status of the item. You are free to use this Item in any way that is permitted by the copyright and related rights legislation that applies to your use.
Type Of Resource
Cite this item
MLA format
Jerome Robbins Dance Division, The New York Public Library. "To seek perfection: honouring 25 years of the National Ballet of Canada " The New York Public Library Digital Collections. 1976. https://digitalcollections.nypl.org/items/4438e4e0-85b1-0135-a840-0f364bf4badf
APA format
Jerome Robbins Dance Division, The New York Public Library. (1976). To seek perfection: honouring 25 years of the National Ballet of Canada Retrieved from https://digitalcollections.nypl.org/items/4438e4e0-85b1-0135-a840-0f364bf4badf
Chicago/Turabian Format
Jerome Robbins Dance Division, The New York Public Library. "To seek perfection: honouring 25 years of the National Ballet of Canada " New York Public Library Digital Collections. Accessed December 8, 2025. https://digitalcollections.nypl.org/items/4438e4e0-85b1-0135-a840-0f364bf4badf
Wikipedia citation
<ref name=NYPL>{{cite web | url=https://digitalcollections.nypl.org/items/4438e4e0-85b1-0135-a840-0f364bf4badf | title= (moving image) To seek perfection: honouring 25 years of the National Ballet of Canada (1976) | author=Digital Collections, The New York Public Library | accessdate=December 8, 2025 | publisher=The New York Public Library, Astor, Lenox, and Tilden Foundations}}</ref>