France, Celia (1921– )

English dancer and founder-director of the National Ballet of Canada (1951–74). Initially a member of Ballet Rambert and Sadler's Wells Royal Ballet, she created roles in Robert Helpmann's Hamlet (1942) and Miracle in the Gorbals (1944). As director of the National Ballet of Canada she built up a repertoire strong on Russian classics and work from British choreographers like Frederick Ashton and Antony Tudor.

France was born in London, and trained under Marie Rambert, Antony Tudor, and Vera Volkova. She performed with Ballet Rambert (1937–40), and moved to Sadler's Wells in 1941. Soon after returning to Ballet Rambert in 1950 she was invited by a group of dance patrons in Toronto to set up a new ballet company for Canada.