Photo Flash: The National Ballet Celebrates Its Diamond Anniversary

This past Wednesday, The National Ballet of Canada celebrated their 60th Anniversary in style at The Four Seasons Centre for the Arts.  One of their fanciest galas in recent memory, the company embraced the 'Diamond' theme in a joint celebration that also honoured the Queen's Jubilee.  Dancers, celebrities, members of the media and fans and friends of the ballet gathered together for a gorgeous celebration that included performances which highlighted the extraordinary work of The National Ballet, and then danced the night away at a gala dinner on the stage of The Four Seasons Centre.

The evening kicked off with a red carpet extravaganza which included models posed outside in the record setting heat, posing lIke Ballerinas inside a music box in gorgeous custom-designed tutus.  Inside, guests were treated to an array of food and drink including a custom cocktail 'Skyy with Diamonds' by Skyy Vodka and hors d'oeuvres from  North 44°.  The hour long performance featured short works performed by the National Ballet, including the pas de deux from Herman Scherman.  After the performance gala guests were invited onto the stage (which featured 24 crystal chandeliers hanging from the ceiling to mark the occasion) and had a dinner prepared by celebrity chef Mark McEwan.

The 60th Anniversary Celebration also highlighted The Tutu Project, an interactive and international art and community-outreach project that includes sixty tutus created by artists from Dance Victoria, The Port Theatre, Canada's Royal Winnipeg Ballet, Alberta Ballet, Giles Deacon for The English National Ballet and more. 

On hand to celebrate were Artistic Director Karen Kain and husband Ross Petty, Artist in Residence Rex Harrington, Veronica Tennant, Rufus Wainwright, Soulpepper's Artistic Director Albert Schultz, Trinity Jackman, Kristen Thomson and more. BWW was thrilled to be invited to capture pictures of the glittering event for our readers.

For more information on The Tutu Project, The National Ballet of Canada or to donate, visit their official website at: http://national.ballet.ca/

All photos by Racheal McCaig Photography

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The National Ballet Diamond Gala

The National Ballet Diamond Gala

The National Ballet Diamond Gala

Dancers sporting tutu by Label (on behalf of the FDCC), tutu by Wardrobe Coordinator Grant Heaps, tutu by Canada�s National Ballet School, tutu Nichola Aoki in collaboration with Metatecture

The National Ballet Diamond Gala

Tutu by Rita Tesolin on behalf of the Fashion Design Council of Canada

Tutu by Shay Lowe Jewellery in partnership with Swarovski Elements

Tutu by Giles Deacon for The English National Ballet's 60th Anniversary

Tutu by Julie Moon

Bay Blanket Tutu by Svetlana Lavrentievs

Tutu by Deanna Brown and members of the NB's kids corps

Tutu by Deanna Brown and members of the NB's kids corps

Tutu by David Dixon is an homage to survivors of Japanese tsunami

Tutu by David Dixon is an homage to survivors of Japanese tsunami

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Kelly Cameron's love affair with the theatre began when she was just five years old, on an outing to see the Original Canadian Cast of Les Miserables at the Royal Alexandra Theatre in Toronto. She instantly fell in love, and since then has been lucky enough to be involved in various theatre activities and productions, including a regional production of A Midsummer Night's Dream and a local production of Where the Sidewalk Ends. She has also received training from various teachers throughout Southwestern Ontario in both piano and voice, and competed in vocal competitions for which she received a few awards. Her writing career started almost by accident, when she had the opportunity to become a ghostwriter for up and coming businesses. She continues to do this, writing the content for all sorts of companies who are starting websites and looking to find their voice. Her passion and love for theatre led to her becoming involved with BroadwayWorld where she is thrilled to be writing for the Toronto contingent of the rapidly growing website. When she isn't at the theatre, you can generally find her firmly planted in front of her trusty Blackberry - tweeting, Facebooking or partaking in other such social media activities to ensure that those who want to know are kept apprised of everything that Toronto theatre has to offer. Other interests include movies, art, music, shopping, fashion and martial arts with the occasional foray into the world of finance. Follow Kelly on Twitter at @broadwaybabyto Creep her on Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/people/Kelly-Cameron/500187141