Angela Leigh

Angela Leigh was a founding member and former principal dancer of the National Ballet of Canada, and a former principal dancer and soloist with the Royal Ballet.

Born in Uganda, Leigh trained and danced with the Royal Ballet in London. There, Leigh worked with choreographer John Cranko, and met her first husband, Clayton Leigh, with whom she had a daughter, Stephanie.[1]

Leigh was one of the twenty-five founding members of the National Ballet of Canada,[2] and danced most of the leading roles in the company's classical and modern repertoires,[3][4] often opposite Joey Harris (aka Ivan Demidoff).[5] In addition to teaching and coaching at the National Ballet's school and company, Leigh was an assistant professor of dance at both York University[6] and George Brown College.

In the early 1950s Leigh danced during the summer season with the Toronto Theatre Ballet.[7]

She appeared in a leading role in the film The Other Man.[8] Leigh's own choreography included works for the National Ballet School, the Canadian Opera Company and Ontario Ballet Theatre.

Her second marriage was to Canadian film-maker Paul Almond. Leigh had one daughter, Stephanie Leigh, also a dancer and pedagogue.[9][10]

In 2003 Leigh helped found Ballet Victoria, the first professional ballet company on Vancouver Island, British Columbia, Canada. At the time of her death on November 30, 2004 she was the company's artistic adviser.[11]

References
  1. Patrizia Gentile; Jane Nicholas (2013). Contesting Bodies and Nation in Canadian History. University of Toronto Press. pp. 195–. ISBN 978-1-4426-1387-4.
  2. "Obituaries: Angela Leigh, 78; a Founder of National Ballet of Canada". Los Angeles Times. December 03, 2004
  3. "National Ballet to Stage 'Coppelia' here April 5'". Buffalo Courier-Express, 12 February 1961.
  4. "Barbara Allen". The Canadian Encyclopedia.
  5. "Obituary: Joey Harris was a dramatic dancer and an exacting teacher". Deirdre Kelly. The Globe and Mail, Apr. 27 2014
  6. "Fine arts: Pursuing Perfection".York University Magazine, Summer 2012.
  7. James Neufeld (23 October 2011). Passion to Dance: The National Ballet of Canada. Dundurn. pp. 40–. ISBN 978-1-4597-0123-6.
  8. "CBC Television Series, 1952-1982" Archived 2015-09-24 at the Wayback Machine. Queens University Film and Media.
  9. Leigh, Angela. "Virtual Museum". Swan Lake. National Ballet of Canada. Retrieved 16 April 2014.
  10. "The Collection" Archived 2015-02-05 at the Wayback Machine. Dance Collection Danse.
  11. Moon, Anne. "Remembering Angela" Archived February 3, 2015, at the Wayback Machine. Footnotes, February 2005, Dance Victoria.
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