Alan Lund, OC (May 23, 1925 – July 1, 1992) was a

Canadian Canadians (french: Canadiens) are people identified with the country of Canada. This connection may be residential, legal, historical or cultural. For most Canadians, many (or all) of these connections exist and are collectively the source of ...

dancer and choreographer, who worked in television, movies and theatre. Lund trained as a dancer in his native

Toronto Toronto ( ; or ) is the capital city of the Canadian province of Ontario. With a recorded population of 2,794,356 in 2021, it is the most populous city in Canada and the fourth most populous city in North America. The city is the ancho ...

, Ontario and first established a performance reputation as a dance team with his wife Blanche, appearing during

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...

in the revue ''

Meet the Navy ''Meet the Navy'' was a musical revue produced by the Royal Canadian Navy during World War II. Directed by Hollywood producer Louis Silver and Broadway choreographer Larry Ceballos, the production premiered in a private performance for serviceme ...

''. The couple became two of the first contract players for

CBC Television CBC Television (also known as CBC TV) is a Canadian English-language broadcast television network owned by the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation, the national public broadcaster. The network began operations on September 6, 1952. Its French-l ...

. Turning to choreography in the 1950s, Lund contributed to various productions, including ''Spring Thaw'', the

Canadian National Exhibition The Canadian National Exhibition (CNE), also known as The Exhibition or The Ex, is an annual event that takes place at Exhibition Place in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, on the third Friday of August leading up to and including Canadian Labour Day, ...

grandstand show, and the

Stratford Festival The Stratford Festival is a theatre festival which runs from April to October in the city of Stratford, Ontario, Canada. Founded by local journalist Tom Patterson in 1952, the festival was formerly known as the Stratford Shakespearean Festival ...

. From 1966 to 1986 he was artistic director of the

Charlottetown Festival The Charlottetown Festival is a seasonal Canadian musical theatre festival which runs from late May to mid-October every year since 1965. Named after its host city Charlottetown, Prince Edward Island and its Charlottetown Conference, since its inc ...

, where he directed the successful musical, ''

Anne of Green Gables ''Anne of Green Gables'' is a 1908 novel by Canadian author Lucy Maud Montgomery (published as L. M. Montgomery). Written for all ages, it has been considered a classic children's novel since the mid-20th century. Set in the late 19th century, t ...

'', and several other productions. His own ''The Legend of the Dumbbells'' premiered at the festival in 1977. Later he directed and choreographed productions such as ''

Kiss Me, Kate ''Kiss Me, Kate'' is a musical written by Bella and Samuel Spewack with music and lyrics by Cole Porter. The story involves the production of a musical version of William Shakespeare's ''The Taming of the Shrew'' and the conflict on and off-s ...

'' (Toronto, 1986). From 1987 until his death he was a resident director of the

Rainbow Stage Rainbow Stage is a not-for-profit musical theatre company and outdoor theatre operator, located in Kildonan Park in north Winnipeg, Manitoba. The covered amphitheatre seats up to 2,600 people and operates from May to September. History As urban p ...

. Lund also worked with musical theatre students at the

Banff Centre Banff Centre for Arts and Creativity, formerly known as The Banff Centre (and previously The Banff Centre for Continuing Education), located in Banff, Alberta, was established in 1933 as the Banff School of Drama. It was granted full autonomy as ...

for many years. He received an honorary degree from the

University of Prince Edward Island The University of Prince Edward Island (UPEI) is a public university in Charlottetown, Prince Edward Island, Canada, and the only university in the province. Founded in 1969, the enabling legislation is the ''University Act, R.S.P.E.I 2000.'' H ...

and became an Officer of the

Order of Canada The Order of Canada (french: Ordre du Canada; abbreviated as OC) is a Canadian state order and the second-highest honour for merit in the system of orders, decorations, and medals of Canada, after the Order of Merit. To coincide with the ...

. Lund collaborated extensively with friend

Alex Mustakas Alex Mustakas is a Canadian actor and Theatre Director. He is the Artistic Director & CEO of Drayton Entertainment, a not-for-profit professional theatre company based in Southwestern Ontario. Early life Mustakas was born in Cyprus and emigrat ...

, artistic director of Drayton Entertainment. Since Lund's death, this organization has created a scholarship fund in his name for recipients pursuing careers in the arts. The scholarship is awarded annually at the ''Alan Lund Tribute Show'', a variety show and fundraiser at the Drayton Festival Theatre in

Drayton, Ontario Drayton is a community in Wellington County, Ontario, Canada. It is a part of the township of Mapleton. The village is on the corner of Wellington Road 8 and Wellington Road 11, geographically northwest of Fergus and southwest of Arthur. Histo ...

External links

''The Canadian Encyclopedia'' article on Alan Lund''Canadian Theater Encyclopedia'' article on Alan Lund
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'' Dancing in film in 1946 {{DEFAULTSORT:Lund, Alan 1925 births 1992 deaths Canadian male dancers Canadian choreographers Officers of the Order of Canada People from Toronto