Celia Franca, CC (b at London, Eng, June 25, 1921 - d at Ottawa, February 19, 2007) dancer, choreographer, director, teacher and the founder of The National Ballet of Canada (1951).

As founder of the National Ballet of Canada, Franca - a strong-willed, dynamic woman - played a central role in the development of ballet in Canada. She was trained in England at London's Guildhall School of Music and at the Royal Academy of Dancing. She performed there with various companies, among them the Ballet Rambert and Sadler's Wells Ballet. Her earliest choreography was also created in England.

In 1941, aged 20, she was recognized as one of the finest dramatic ballerinas in the Sadler's Wells company. In 1947 she joined the Metropolitan Ballet as a soloist and ballet mistress. It was there that she began choreographing for television, creating the first two ballets - Eve of St. Agnes and Dance of Salome - ever commissioned by the BBC.

Her artistic and organizational gifts caused Franca to be recommended to a group of Toronto ballet-lovers who in 1950 wanted to establish a classical ballet company in Canada. Franca agreed to become founding artistic director of the National Ballet of Canada in 1951 and remained its head until 1974. Despite a lack of adequate financial support and the short supply of well-trained classical dancers, Franca succeeded in developing a well-schooled repertory ballet company that by the early 1970s had gained an international reputation.

She and Betty Oliphant founded the National Ballet School of Canada in 1959 to provide exceptional dancers for the Company. During her years with the National Ballet and since her retirement, Celia was recognized at home and abroad.

In 1978 Celia Franca, Merrilee Hodgins and Joyce Shietze opened The School of Dance in Ottawa as a nationally registered, educational, charitable, non-profit organization designed to provide professional training for dance.

Franca's leadership of NBC was at times controversial. Her battles with difficult dancers, staff and board members were often the stuff of lively gossip and became legendary, even making occasional headlines. Franca's ability to take risks with new works was limited by the need to attract audiences whose tastes were largely traditional and conservative.

Franca continued to dance leading roles until 1959 and appeared as a guest character dancer into the early 1980s. She choreographed or staged from memory several established works in the classical repertory as well as a number of her own creations. Franca also created opportunities for such Canadian choreographers as David Adams and Grant Strate.

Celia lived in Ottawa and, among many commitments, was a Co-Artistic Director of The School of Dance, a member of the board of governors of York University and the board of directors of the Canada Council and later served on the Board of Directors for the Canada Dance Festival Society.

Celia continued her association with the National Ballet, revising works for the Company such as Offenbach in the Underworld (1983) and staging The Nutcracker. She returned to the Company to produce a 35th Anniversary Gala Performance at Toronto's O'Keefe Centre.

In 1967, she was made an Officer of the Order of Canada and was promoted to Companion in 1985.

For the past year she had been in poor health after breaking vertebrae in her back. She died on February 19, 2007, aged 85, in an Ottawa Hospital.