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| History In 1938, Gweneth Lloyd and Betty Farrally, two dynamic and enthusiastic teachers, left England and arrived in Winnipeg to share their love of dance with the people of Winnipeg. In 1939, The Canadian School of Ballet began with six dancers training under the careful eyes of Miss Lloyd and Miss Farrally. The two women also founded the Winnipeg Ballet Club, which held its first performance in 1939 dancing to two prairie-accessible pieces Grain and Kilowatt Magic. Both pieces were choreographed by the two founders and were performed by students of the School. Only one year after the School began, students were ready to be tested by an examiner from London’s Royal Academy of Dancing. In 1943, The Winnipeg Ballet was formed and all dancers in the Company were from the School. Six years after that the company incorporated as a non-profit cultural organization and became a professional company with all the dancers coming from the School and from Winnipeg. In 1950, Gweneth Lloyd moved to Toronto to open a branch of the Canadian Ballet School, while Betty Farrally stayed in Winnipeg to head both the School and the company. Seven years later Betty ended her connection with the now Royal Winnipeg Ballet (made Royal by Queen Elizabeth II in 1953). Betty continued to own and operate the Canadian Ballet School with Gweneth Lloyd. Five years later the Royal Winnipeg Ballet took over the School and became known as the School of the Royal Winnipeg Ballet with Jean McKenzie as the principal. A scholarship program was formed in 1964 with full-time students. From this program David Moroni founded the Professional Division in 1970 and the school began to operate under the two separate divisions, General (now Recreational) and Professional. In 1986, the Royal Winnipeg Ballet began construction of a new Company home. This unique facility, which includes 10 dance studios (including a performance studio), physiotherapy room, administrative and production offices, box office, wardrobe department and the Royal Winnipeg Ballet School Professional and Recreational Divisions, was officially opened in January 1988.
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Paddy Stone & Edith Jamieson |
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