Identity area
Identifier
Authorized form of name
Parallel form(s) of name
Other form(s) of name
Type
- Arts Organization
Contact area
Type
Address
Street address
Locality
Region
Country name
Postal code
Telephone
Fax
Note
Description area
History
The National Ballet of Canada
Established as a classical company by founder Celia Franca in 1951, The National Ballet of Canada is the only Canadian ballet company to present a full range of traditional full-length classics.The company's repertoire includes works by the world’s most celebrated 20th and 21st century masters, such as Sir Frederick Ashton, George Balanchine, John Cranko, William Forsythe, James Kudelka, Jirí Kylián, John Neumeier, Rudolf Nureyev, Glen Tetley, Christopher Wheeldon, Wayne McGregor, and Alexei Ratmansky. In addition to its classical repertoire, the company also embraces contemporary works and encourages the creation of new ballets and the development of Canadian choreographers.
Canada's premier dance company has performed for over 10 million people. The National Ballet performs annual Fall, Winter and Summer seasons plus The Nutcracker. The company has toured in Canada and the United States, and throughout the world including performances in Great Britain, Germany, The Netherlands, Israel, Hong Kong, Japan, Italy, and Mexico.
The Archives
In operation since 1975, the National Ballet Archives were created for the collection and preservation of materials that best serve to illustrate the founding and development of The National Ballet of Canada, and to assist, whenever possible, research and scholarly work in dance. Archival holdings document the history of the company from 1951 to the present, and include press clippings, programmes, posters, photographs, videos, and costumes, as well as materials referring to dance in general, both in Canada and internationally. The Erik Bruhn Library and Archive Video Collection provide a valuable reference resource, featuring over 2500 items pertaining to dance and related subjects such as theatre, music, scenography, choreography, and anatomy.
Geographical and cultural context
Mandates/Sources of authority
Administrative structure
Records management and collecting policies
Buildings
Until the move of the National Ballet to The Walter Carsen Centre in 1996, archival holdings were maintained in two locations: a main office at St. Lawrence Hall (the previous administrative home of the National Ballet) and further storage across the street at 143 King St. E. Holdings are currently located in four rooms at The Walter Carsen Centre: the Archive Reading Room, two Archive Preservation Rooms, and the Howard Meadows Costume Archives.
Holdings
Fonds consists of archival holdings that document the history of The National Ballet of Canada from 1951 to the present, and include press clippings, programmes, posters, photographs, videos, and costumes, as well as materials referring to dance in general, both in Canada and internationally. The Erik Bruhn Library also provides a valuable on-site reference resource, with ca. 1000 volumes pertaining to dance and related subjects.
Further accruals are expected.
Finding aids, guides and publications
Digital access to many of the company's varied collections is provided through The Helen G. Balfour InMagic Database available on site at the Walter Carsen Center.
Access area
Opening times
Open: Mon-Fri, 9:30 am to 5:00 pm
Closed: Sat & Sun; Statutory Holidays
Access conditions and requirements
Access to the Archives is available by appointment only. To arrange a research appointment, please call the Archives at 416 345 9686 x365.
The National Ballet of Canada Archives provides access to and use of its materials free of charge. Items may be used only with permission from The National Ballet of Canada with the necessary credits given to the artists and photographers where necessary.
Members of the public can become life-long members of the Archives and enjoy the privileges of borrowing our materials (some conditions apply). Students, teachers and researchers are invited to visit the Archives and the Erik Bruhn Library for resource materials on dance in Canada and The National Ballet of Canada.
Please note that research space is limited.
Accessibility
The Walter Carsen Centre and the National Ballet of Canada Archives are wheelchair accessible.
A map to the Walter Carsen Centre is available here: http://goo.gl/maps/U5ZfB
The Walter Carsen Centre is located a short walk from the TTC route 509 bus/streetcar stop at Spadina Avenue. Please note that due to ongoing construction on Queen's Quay, vehicle access is limited.
Services area
Research services
Please note that research space is limited.
Audio-visual technology for viewing videos is available.
Researchers may be permitted to access to the holdings of the Eric Bruhn Library at the discretion of the Archivist.
Reproduction services
Please note, the Archives reserves the right to refuse to provide copies or to restrict their number. All photocopying must be done within the limitations of the Copyright Act. Photocopies cost $0.25 per page, and will be done by archival staff. Change is not available on site, so please bring enough cash to cover any photocopy costs you anticipate.
Access to restricted material such as archival videotapes or copyright photographs will require permission from the Archivist and/or the individuals or groups involved before viewing or use. Copies of such restricted material may be denied to researchers.
Many materials have been digitized by the Archives. If a researcher deems that the existing digital version is not of a suitable quality, items will be digitized in-house at a cost of $5.00/scan, and will be provided on CD for use. Any item that cannot be digitized in-house will be digitized elsewhere as arranged by the Archivist. The requesting party will be invoiced for any fees incurred and the items must be returned immediately after use.
Public areas
Control area
Description identifier
Institution identifier
Rules and/or conventions used
Description created in accordance with the standards set out in ISDIAH: International Standard for Describing Institutions with Archival Holdings (2008).
ISO 8601
Status
Level of detail
Dates of creation, revision and deletion
2013-07-03 [ISO 8601] revised
Language(s)
- English
Script(s)
- Latin
Sources
The National Ballet of Canada website: http://national.ballet.ca/
The Helen G. Balfour InMagic Database is available on site at the Walter Carsen Centre.
INTERNATIONAL COUNCIL ON ARCHIVES. ISDIAH: International Standard for Describing Institutions with Archival Holdings. Paris: International Council on Archives, 2008.
Maintenance notes
This institution is no longer a member of the Archives Association of Ontario. Their Archeion profile may be outdated.
Institutional record last updated on 16 August 2013.