Who Are We?

Did You Know That The National Ballet of Canada…

• The National Ballet of Canada was founded in 1951 by English dancer Celia Franca who moved to Toronto to establish the ballet company.


• The National Ballet has a history of pre-eminent Artistic Directors and in January 2022, welcomed Hope Muir as the company’s new Artistic Director.

• Hope was born in Toronto, completed her ballet training in London, and danced with English National Ballet, amongst other companies, where she performed both classical and contemporary repertoire. Hope is now an international guest stager, teacher and repetiteur. She held artistic leadership roles in both Europe and the US before returning home to Canada to direct the National Ballet.


• The company presented its first performance of Les Sylphides and the Polovetsian Dances from Prince Igor at The Eaton Auditorium in Toronto on November 12, 1951.

• The National Ballet has toured across Canada, the US and throughout the world including London, Paris, Hamburg, New York City, Washington, D.C. and Los Angeles.

• The company performs traditional full-length classics, like Swan Lake, The Sleeping Beauty and The Nutcracker, embraces contemporary work and encourages the creation of new ballets as well as the development of Canadian choreographers.

• The National Ballet of Canada has its own highly skilled production team and works from a state-of-the-art facility, The Gretchen Ross Production Centre, to build and store its glorious sets.

• The National Ballet performs at Toronto’s Four Seasons Centre for the Performing Arts every year and has more than 70 dancers and its own orchestra.

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