I want to thank two people for first giving me the idea for this book: Oldyna Dynowska, charter member of the company; and Cheryl Belkin-Epstein, who teaches History of Ballet at the National Ballet School and is a former dancer herself.
I am most grateful to Karen Kain, until recently Artistic Director of the National Ballet Company and former ballerina, who wrote the foreword and opened the National Ballet Archives to me. This work is my way of celebrating the anniversary of her association with the National Ballet Company.
I also want to thank Veronica Tennant, another former ballerina and current film director, who wrote the afterword, the tribute to Janet and David Scott, plus the wonderful tribute to Earl Kraul. She offered all kinds of encouragement and gave me access to her film, The Dancers’ Story.
Thank you to Luciana Ricciutelli, a wonderful editor, and Inanna Publications for publishing this book.
A special thank you to my long-time friend and colleague, Dr. Marion Lynn.
Many thanks to Mavis Staines, Artistic Director of Canada’s National Ballet School, who wrote the tribute to Glenn Gilmour, and who was always very kind and encouraging regarding this book.
I also want to thank Barbara Turner-Vesselago for her inspiring creative writing workshops. I am also grateful to my writing group Anna Van Straubenzee, Fran Turner, Marie Laurin, Andrew Ignatieff, for their honest and critical responses.
I want to thank Tiffany Maxwell, my assistant editor and speedy typist without whom this book would not have been written.
I want to acknowledge the skill and organizational wizardry of my assistant, Patricia Maxwell. Her help made all the difference in finishing this book.
I want to thank Ilda Labao and Marc McNamara who worked tirelessly to ensure that I had the quiet to work on the book.
I want to thank my sons Eric, Geoff, Chris, and my sister, Daphne Payne, who were always supportive.
As for Bob Ito, Donald Mahler, Edelayne Brandt, Frances Greenwood, Gloria Bonnell, Janet Green Foster, Judie Colpman, Katerina Evanova, Lilian Jarvis, Marcel Chojnacki, Myrna Aaron, Oldyna Dynowska, Pauline McCullagh, Penny Anne Winter, Sally Brayley Bliss, Shirley Kash, Valerie Lyon, Vicky Bertram, Yves Cousineau, Lorna Geddes, Cathy Carr, Cecily Paige, Marilyn Rollo, and Leila Zorina: they, above all, deserve my gratitude and praise.
Another group of people I wish to express my great appreciation and thanks to are those who wrote memorial tributes in the “Early Champions” chapter about those from the fifties who have died.
National Ballet Company archivists Adrienne Neville, Caitlin Dyer, and especially Katherine Wilson, were all most helpful to the book.
Dance Collection Danse’s Miriam Adams and Amy Bowring gave me early photos and much moral support.