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Items To seek perfection

To seek perfection: honouring 25 years of the National Ballet of Canada

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Library division & collection with this item:

LIBRARY DIVISION
Jerome Robbins Dance Division

  • Choregraphie
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  • Sketchbook
  • Coreografie per ballabili d'opera
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  • La sténochorégraphie
  • Ehon Tsūhōshi
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  • America
  • Costume designs for the ballet La Pastorella Svizzera
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COLLECTION
National Ballet of Canada Video Archive

This Item

To seek perfection

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Title
To seek perfection: honouring 25 years of the National Ballet of Canada
Additional title: Romeo and Juliet (Choreographic work : Cranko)
Additional title: Fille mal gardée (Choreographic work : Ashton)
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)
Collection

National Ballet of Canada Video Archive

Dates / Origin
Date Created: 1976
Place: Canada
Publisher: Canadian Broadcasting Corporation
Library locations
Jerome Robbins Dance Division
Shelf locator: *MGZIDF 8825
Shelf locator: *MGZIC 9-5496 (former)
Topics
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
Videocassette
Extent: 1 videocassette (U-matic) (29 min.) : sound, color with black and white sequences ; 3/4 in.
Description
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).
Type of Resource
Moving image
Languages
English
Identifiers
RLIN/OCLC: NYPY97-F526
NYPL catalog ID (B-number): b13303679
Universal Unique Identifier (UUID): 4438e4e0-85b1-0135-a840-0f364bf4badf
Rights Statement
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.

Item timeline of events

  • 1921: Creator Born
  • 1976: Created
  • 2007: Creator Died
  • 2019: Digitized
  • 2025: Found by you!
  • 2026

MLA Format

Jerome Robbins Dance Division, The New York Public Library. "To seek perfection" The New York Public Library Digital Collections. 1976. https://digitalcollections.nypl.org/items/a9baad9e-3d84-46cb-a1dd-2a3c51d8e9ed

Chicago/Turabian Format

Jerome Robbins Dance Division, The New York Public Library. "To seek perfection" New York Public Library Digital Collections. Accessed June 17, 2025. https://digitalcollections.nypl.org/items/a9baad9e-3d84-46cb-a1dd-2a3c51d8e9ed

APA Format

Jerome Robbins Dance Division, The New York Public Library. (1976). To seek perfection Retrieved from https://digitalcollections.nypl.org/items/a9baad9e-3d84-46cb-a1dd-2a3c51d8e9ed

Wikipedia Citation

<ref name=NYPL>{{cite web | url=https://digitalcollections.nypl.org/items/a9baad9e-3d84-46cb-a1dd-2a3c51d8e9ed | title= (moving image) To seek perfection, (1976)|author=Digital Collections, The New York Public Library |accessdate=June 17, 2025 |publisher=The New York Public Library, Astor, Lenox, and Tilden Foundations}}</ref>

To seek perfection