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 ...
producer, director, and filmmaker and a former principal dancer of 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 ...
. She was born in
London, England
London is the capital and largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary down to the North Sea, and has been a major s ...
and moved to
Canada
Canada is a country in North America. Its ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, covering over , making it the world's second-largest country by tot ...
with her parents and sister in 1955. Dancing from the age of four, by the age of 18, she became the youngest person ever to enter the National Ballet of Canada. She made her debut as Juliet in the principal role in '' Romeo and Juliet'' with partner
Earl Kraul
Earl () is a rank of the nobility in the United Kingdom. The title originates in the Old English word ''eorl'', meaning "a man of noble birth or rank". The word is cognate with the Old Norse, Scandinavian form ''jarl'', and meant "Germanic ch ...
on a choreography by
John Cranko
John Cyril Cranko (15 August 1927 – 26 June 1973) was a South African ballet dancer and choreographer with the Royal Ballet and the Stuttgart Ballet.
Life and career
Early life
Cranko was born in Rustenburg in the former province of Transv ...
. She gave her last performance dancing Juliet again in the same ballet in February 1989. Her official farewell gala in November 1989 includes dance excerpts from '' Giselle'', ''Washington Square'', ''Canciones'', ''Masada'', '' Onegin'' as well as a final pas de deux that she never performed before from Cranko's ''
The Taming of the Shrew
''The Taming of the Shrew'' is a comedy by William Shakespeare, believed to have been written between 1590 and 1592. The play begins with a framing device, often referred to as the induction, in which a mischievous nobleman tricks a drunken ...
''.
James Neufeld wrote in his book ''Passion to Dance. The National Ballet of Canada'' "Veronica Tennant has built a major career and impressive artistic reputation almost entirely within the National Ballet of Canada. One of the company's best-loved ballerinas, she was also a figure of national prominence on the Canadian cultural scene, an eloquent spokesperson for the importance of cultural values in the life of the nation". By 1976, she was a star at the National Ballet and touring across North America, Europe and Japan with Mikhail Baryshnikov and
Rudolf Nureyev
Rudolf Khametovich Nureyev ( ; Tatar/ Bashkir: Рудольф Хәмит улы Нуриев; rus, Рудо́льф Хаме́тович Нуре́ев, p=rʊˈdolʲf xɐˈmʲetəvʲɪtɕ nʊˈrʲejɪf; 17 March 19386 January 1993) was a Soviet ...
,
Anthony Dowell
Sir Anthony James Dowell (born 16 February 1943) is a retired British ballet dancer and a former artistic director of the Royal Ballet. He is widely recognized as one of the great ''danseurs nobles'' of the twentieth century.
Early life and tra ...
among others, as prima
ballerina
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 ...
. During her career from 1964 to 1989, she performed in many ballets by legendary choreographers; Sir Frederick Ashton,
Roland Petit
Roland Petit (13 January 192410 July 2011) was a French ballet company director, choreographer and dancer. He trained at the Paris Opera Ballet school, and became well known for his creative ballets.
Life and work
The son of shoe designer Ros ...
,
Jiri Kylian
Jiri ( ne, जिरी) is a municipality in Dolakha District in the Bagmati Province of central Nepal. At the time of the 2011 Nepal census it had a population of 13,638 people..
Jiri, which lies about 190 kilometers from Kathmandu, is the m ...
,
John Neumeier
John Neumeier (born February 24, 1939) is an American ballet dancer, choreographer, and director. He has been the director and chief choreographer of Hamburg Ballet since 1973. Five years later he founded the Hamburg Ballet School, which also in ...
, and championed Canadian choreographers such as James Kudelka, Ann Ditchburn and Constantin Patsalas. Among her performances she appeared in '' Giselle'', ''
La Sylphide
''La Sylphide'' ( en, The Sylph; da, Sylfiden) is a romantic ballet in two acts. There were two versions of the ballet; the original choreographed by Filippo Taglioni in 1832, and a second version choreographed by August Bournonville in 1836. ...
'', ''
Napoli
Naples (; it, Napoli ; nap, Napule ), from grc, Νεάπολις, Neápolis, lit=new city. is the regional capital of Campania and the third-largest city of Italy, after Rome and Milan, with a population of 909,048 within the city's adminis ...
La Fille mal gardée
LA most frequently refers to Los Angeles, the second largest city in the United States.
La, LA, or L.A. may also refer to:
Arts and entertainment Music
* La (musical note), or A, the sixth note
* "L.A.", a song by Elliott Smith on ''Figur ...
Kraanerg
''Kraanerg'' is a composition for 23 instruments and 4-channel analog tape composed by Iannis Xenakis in 1968, as ballet, with choreography by Roland Petit and set design by Victor Vasarely. It was created for the grand opening of the Canadian N ...
'', ''The Newcomers'', ''Whispers of Darkness'' and ''Realm'' in which she mostly interprets the leading roles.
She wrote two children books: the first, ''On stage, Please : A Story'' illustrated by
Rita Briansky
Rita Briansky (born July 25, 1925) is a Polish-born Canadian painter and printmaker. Briansky is associated with the Jewish Painters of Montreal.
Early life
Briansky emigrated to Ontario, Canada with her mother and two sisters in 1929.
The year ...
(published in 1977) and the second, ''The Nutcracker'' illustrated by the former figure skater
Toller Cranston
Toller Shalitoe Montague Cranston, CM (April 20, 1949 – January 24, 2015) was a Canadian figure skater and painter. He won the 1971–1976 Canadian national championships, the 1974 World bronze medal and the 1976 Olympic bronze medal. ...
(published in 1985) based on the story of E.T.A. Hoffmann.
As a producer, director and filmmaker, her films and documentaries related to dance were broadcast on channels like CBC, CTV and Bravo. Among them ''Salute to Dancers for Life/Danser pour la Vie'' (1994–95), ''Margie Gillis: Wild Hearts in Strange Times'' (1996); ''Karen Kain: Dancing in the Moment'' (1998); ''Northern Light - Visions and Dreams'' (2003); ''a pairing of SwanS'' (2004) and ''Celia Franca: Tour de Force'' (2006). Several of her productions have been awarded with Gemini Awards given by the
Academy of Canadian Cinema & Television
The Academy of Canadian Cinema & Television is a Canadian non-profit organization created in 1979 to recognize the achievements of the over 4,000 Canadian film industry and television industry professionals, most notably through the Canadian Scre ...
.
Tennant is often invited as guest speaker, host and narrator as well as an actor. She performed in the leading role of Leonard Bernstein's ''On the Town'' at the
Shaw Festival
The Shaw Festival is a not-for-profit theatre festival in Niagara-on-the-Lake, Ontario, Canada. It is the second largest repertory theatre company in North America. The Shaw Festival was founded in 1962. Originally, it only featured productio ...
in 1992, and in the title role in ''The Piano Man's Daughter'' with
Joe Sealy
Joseph Arthur Sealy (born 16 August 1939) is a Canadian jazz musician. He was awarded the Order of Canada in 2010.
Awards
* Juno Awards of 1982 - Nominee for Best Jazz Album - '' Clear Vision''
* Juno Awards of 1995 - Nominee for Best Contempor ...
in a 22 performance national tour under the direction of Paul Thompson in 1997.
Tennant is also involved in her community contributing on various artistic boards (Toronto Arts Awards Foundation, Glenn Gould Foundation, Dancer Transition Resource Centre) and charitable events. She has been honorary chair of
UNICEF
UNICEF (), originally called the United Nations International Children's Emergency Fund in full, now officially United Nations Children's Fund, is an agency of the United Nations responsible for providing humanitarian and developmental aid to ...
since 1992. In 2015, she conceived and directed ''NIÁGARA: A Pan-American Story'', a multidisciplinary project for the
2015 Pan American Games
Fifteen or 15 may refer to:
*15 (number), the natural number following 14 and preceding 16
*one of the years 15 BC, AD 15, 1915, 2015
Music
* Fifteen (band), a punk rock band
Albums
* ''15'' (Buckcherry album), 2005
* ''15'' (Ani Lorak al ...
.
Awards
Veronica Tennant has been awarded honorary doctorates from
Brock University
Brock University is a public research university in St. Catharines, Ontario, Canada. It is the only university in Canada in a UNESCO Biosphere Reserve, at the centre of Canada's Niagara Peninsula on the Niagara Escarpment. The university bears t ...
,
York University
York University (french: Université York), also known as YorkU or simply YU, is a public university, public research university in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. It is Canada's fourth-largest university, and it has approximately 55,700 students, 7,0 ...
,
Simon Fraser University
Simon Fraser University (SFU) is a public research university in British Columbia, Canada, with three campuses, all in Greater Vancouver: Burnaby (main campus), Surrey, and Vancouver. The main Burnaby campus on Burnaby Mountain, located ...
,
McGill University
McGill University (french: link=no, Université McGill) is an English-language public research university located in Montreal, Quebec
Montreal ( ; officially Montréal, ) is the second-most populous city in Canada and most populous ...
and the
University of Toronto
The University of Toronto (UToronto or U of T) is a public university, public research university in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, located on the grounds that surround Queen's Park (Toronto), Queen's Park. It was founded by royal charter in 1827 ...
. She serves often as keynote speaker. She has received several awards, including the Toronto Arts Award and the Arts and Letters Award from The Canadian Club of New York City.
In 1975, she was made 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 cen ...
and was promoted to Companion in 2003. In 2001, she was inducted into Canada's Walk of Fame. In 2006, she was made a Fellow of the Royal Society of Canada. In 2004, Tennant received the
Governor General's Performing Arts Award
A governor is an administrative leader and head of a polity or political region, ranking under the head of state and in some cases, such as governors-general, as the head of state's official representative. Depending on the type of political ...
for Lifetime Artistic Achievement, Canada's highest honour in the performing arts.Rsc Src