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Alice’s Adventures at the Capital Pride Parade
August 24, 2014To help celebrate the Magic of Alice that will take place at the National Arts Centre this season, Dance and English Theatre sent a marching float of Alices to join the Capital Pride Parade festivities. They were joined by five playing card soldiers who helped keep the party going as…
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The NAC: Bridging the two solitudes
August 19, 2014The National Arts Centre (NAC) is Canada’s only bilingual multidisciplinary performing arts centre. That’s right—the one and only! From the day it opened in 1969, the Centre’s mission has been to showcase the very best of the performing arts in Canada in both English and French. “From the…
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NAC Dance Masterclasses open new horizons for students
August 15, 2014It’s only 10:30 on a Saturday morning but a group of eager dance students have already worked up a sweat. The students are in the middle of a masterclass at the NAC with Pierre Lapointe, principal ballet master with Les Grands Ballet Canadiens de Montréal, and he’s really putting them…
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Down the rabbit hole and through the looking-glass
August 7, 2014“No, no! The adventures first… explanations take such a dreadful time.” – The Gryphon in Lewis Carroll’s Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland There’s something about young Alice that has been inspiring artists and creators since 1865 when Lewis Carroll first told her tales in his classic…
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Farewell to Julia Foster: NAC Board Chair wraps up successful term
August 6, 2014For eight years, Julia Foster brought her intellect, her business skills, and her love of the arts to the National Arts Centre as the Chair of Board of Trustees. Julia’s second term recently ended in July, after a fond farewell from the NAC’s staff, artists and her fellow board…
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“My magic castle”: Growing up at the NAC
July 14, 2014My love affair with the National Arts Centre began at a young age. Whether it was the beautiful Nutcracker ballet or the hilarious Christmas pantomime, I’m not 100% sure which show was my first, but I have clear memories of the long hike up to the balcony level, gazing up and then down at…
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Plen-tea of thanks to our Planned Giving donors
May 29, 2014The National Arts Centre Foundation held its annual Emeritus Circle Tea on the afternoon of May 21 to thank those donors who have provided a gift for the future through a bequest in their will, a gift of life insurance, or other planned giving arrangements. Donors were treated to an open…
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Choreographer Michael Greyeyes speaks about A Soldier’s Tale
May 26, 2014The Canada Dance Festival, in partnership with the National Arts Centre as co-producer, has been presenting, advancing and celebrating Canadian dance excellence in the Nation’s Capital for more than 25 years. The 2014 edition will open with Signal Theatre's new work A Soldier's Tale. The…
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Red carpet highlights of the GG Performing Arts Awards
May 23, 2014The Governor General's Performing Arts Awards Gala is the culmination of a weekend-long celebration of some of Canada’s greatest artists and arts volunteers. Award recipients are honoured in the House of Commons, at Rideau Hall and at the Gala at the National Arts Centre. "If we are a…
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Catalysts of Creation: The Canada Dance Festival and the NAC
May 21, 2014Canada’s National Arts Centre (NAC) has a long history of co-producing work with Canadian dance artists, acting as a catalyst and partner in the creation, development and performance of new work. “Co-producing allows the NAC to be one of a series of important organizations around the world…
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Driven to Create: Interview with Dancer Louise Lecavalier
April 28, 2014“It’s amazing, and humbling.” – Dancer Louise Lecavalier on receiving a Governor General’s Performing Arts Award Critics and audiences around the world have lauded Dancer Louise Lecavalier for her artistry. And yet, she says she must remind herself that she is a deserving recipient of the…
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True love, and a miniature horse: Coppélia at the NAC
April 23, 2014The National Arts Centre strives to be a catalyst for performance, creation and learning. Part of that last piece – learning – means we are passionate about helping build the audiences of the future by programming performances that the whole family can enjoy. That’s why we are delighted to…
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Peter Quanz on Rodin/Claudel and the Value of Mentorship
April 23, 2014Peter Quanz, a man who dreamed of being a choreographer since he was nine years old, knows you need mentors to make a dream like his come true. In Rodin/Claudel, a work he choreographed for Les Grands Ballets Canadiens de Montréal about the two famous sculptors, he explores that very…
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Thanks to our artists, our culture can travel
April 10, 2014The Governor General’s Performing Arts Awards are Canada’s highest honour in the performing arts. The Awards are how we as a country say “thank you” to the artists whose work has filled our lives with meaning, beauty and joy. When the recipients for the 2014 Governor General's Performing…
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Learning from the world’s best dancers
April 4, 2014Kyla Agtarap is a local dancer who often attends NAC Dance masterclasses. From modern to classical these masterclasses give young dancers the opportunity to receive instruction from the world's best dancers. The students are challenged to push beyond their boundaries and explore new aspects…