Oliphant, Betty (1918–2004)
Oliphant, Betty (1918–2004)
English ballet dancer and teacher. Born Nancy Elizabeth Oliphant, Aug 5, 1918, in London, England; died July 12, 2004, in St. Catharines, Ontario, Canada; married and div.; married a Canadian soldier, Frank Grover, 1945; children: Gail Sadova and Carol Roach.
Danced with Ballet Rambert and appeared in numerous West End musicals and Christmas pantomimes; at 18, opened her own studio on Wigmore Street (1936); moved with husband and children to Canada (1947), settling in Toronto; began serving as ballet master of the National Ballet of Canada (1951) and served as its associate artistic director (1969–75); with Celia Franca, also founded the National Ballet School, serving as its director (1959–89); helped reorganize the Royal Danish Ballet School (1978); was a major producer of renowned ballet dancers from Canada, including Veronica Tennant, Martine van Hamel, Karen Kain, Frank Augustyn, Kevin Pugh and Rex Harrington, and such choreographers as James Kudelka and John Alleyne. Made Officer (1973) and Companion (1985) of the Order of Canada.
See also autobiography, Miss O: My Life in Dance (1996).