The woman who has been coaching National Ballet of Canada dancers for 40 years is retiring. Magdalena Popa will retire at the end of the 2021/22 season as principal artistic coach but remain on staff as an artistic adviser. Romanian-born Popa was a renowned prima ballerina herself, dancing virtually all of the major classical ballets, and performing with the Bolshoi and Kirov ballets, the London Festival Ballet, Les Ballets de Monte Carlo, Le Grand Ballet Classique de France and others. Popa said she came to Canada after seeing many Canadian dancers at the International Ballet Competition in Moscow, including Karen Kain, Frank Augustyn, Evelyn Hart and Kevin Pugh. Others outside Canada will get to see the National Ballet’s dancers for the first time in several years.

Source: thestar June 18, 2022 07:00 UTC