Lorna Geddes (born 1943) is a Canadian ballerina who worked with the

National Ballet of Canada The National Ballet of Canada is a Canadian ballet company that was founded in 1951 in Toronto, Ontario, with Celia Franca as the first artistic director. A company of 70 dancers with its own orchestra, the National Ballet has been led since 2022 ...

for 59 years.

Early life and training

Geddes was born in

Waterloo, Ontario Waterloo is a city in the Canadian province of Ontario. It is one of three cities in the Regional Municipality of Waterloo (formerly Waterloo County). Waterloo is situated about west-southwest of Toronto. Due to the close proximity of the ci ...

and began dancing at the age of three. After training with

National Ballet School of Canada Canada's National Ballet School, also commonly known as the National Ballet School of Canada, is a classical ballet school located in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. Along with the Royal Winnipeg Ballet School, it is a provider of professional ballet tr ...

co-founder Betty Oliphant, Geddes joined the National Ballet of Canada in 1959 as a member of the Corps de Ballet at the age of 16 under the Artistic Director and company founder

Celia Franca Celia Franca (25 June 1921 – 19 February 2007) was a co-founder of The National Ballet of Canada (1951) and its artistic director for 24 years. Early life Franca was born Celia Franks in London, England, the daughter of an East End tailo ...

. She was appointed Assistant Ballet Mistress in 1984, and became Pointe Shoe Manager in 1998. She was promoted to Principal Character Artist in 2005, and was known for her "signature role" as the Nurse in ''Romeo and Juliet''. She retired at the end of the 2018/2019 season.

Personal life

Geddes is married to Hazaros Surmeyan. Surmeyan joined the National Ballet of Canada in 1966, and later became Principal Character Artist in 1986. Together, they have one son, André.

Awards

In 2008, Geddes received the inaugural David Tony Award.

References

External links

"When things go wrong: National Ballet dancer Lorna Geddis seems to have a case of opening night jitters but; when you consider what can go wrong; you can't blame her." Photograph by Michael Stuparyk, 1983. Toronto Star Photo Archives.

"At the barre: Lorna Geddes; above in Coppelia; is the National Ballet's longest-performing member. Her first 25 years were spent dancing; the last three she has been a coach." Photograph by Rick Eglinton, 1987. Toronto Star Photo Archives.
{{DEFAULTSORT:Geddes, Lorna 1943 births Living people

Ballerinas A ballet dancer ( it, ballerina fem.; ''ballerino'' masc.) is a person who practices the art of classical ballet. Both females and males can practice ballet; however, dancers have a strict hierarchy and strict gender roles. They rely on ye ...

+Ballerinas Canadian ballerinas