This paper is a study of the Canadian Ballet Festival movement from
1948 to 1954. The Festivals acted as a catalyst for the professional dance
community that emerged in Canada in the 1950s. They fostered the development
of new companies, original choreography and interdisciplinary collaboration
while also raising the profile of dance in Canada. The Canadian Ballet
Festival Association (CBFA), the organizing body behind these non-competitive
festivals, was mandated to present and encourage the work of dance companies,
help prepare a professional environment for Canadian dancers so they could
earn a living in Canada, and promote the formation of a national ballet
company. As these goals were achieved, the Festival began to lose momentum.
After 1951 there was a gradual decrease in the number of Festival participants
and by 1954 the CBFA was having difficulty raising money. However, by the
end of the Ballet Festival movement, dancers and choreographers could find
paying work, and by crossing the regional boundaries that had kept them
in isolation, Canadian dance artists united, setting the stage for their
own professionalization.
05/27: 900