Canada’s National Ballet School (NBS) is located in 400 Jarvis Street, Toronto, Ontario. The new addition to the school, the Celia Franca Centre, was deigned by Kuwabara Payne McKenna Blumberg Architects (KPMB). The construction of the National Ballet School expansion “Project Grand Jeté“ began in 2003, and the Celia Franca Centre was completed in 2005 (“Architects’ Notes”). The Celia Franca Centre is used for multiple purposes. Most importantly are the twelve dance studios of various sizes, some of which are facing Jarvis Street. These studios function as an open stage to the city (Sobchak 58). The Celia Franca Centre also includes a coffee shop, library/ resource centre, study areas, and seating zones. Also, the Betty Oliphant Theatre has change rooms, dressing rooms and wardrobe all encompassed within the Celia Franca Centre (“Canada’s National Ballet School”). The Façade of the Celia Franca Centre consists of glazed curtain walls married with cultured stone tiles tied by steel grate panel sub-structures. The choreography of the opening scene of The Nutcracker is visible in the suspended frit glass of the south pavilion facade in Benesh notation (Anonymous 44).
Works Cited:
Anonymous. “NATIONAL BALLET SCHOOL. ” The Canadian Architect.
1 May 2008: ABI/INFORM Trade & Industry, ProQuest. Web. 18 Sep. 2010.
Arban, Tom. Bird’s Eye View from Jarvis Street. Photograph. Canada’s National Ballet School (Project Grand Jeté, Stage 1). Web. 10 Oct. 2010. <http://www.kpmb.com/index.asp?navid=30&fid1=10&fid2=12>.
Arban, Tom. Detail of Glass Frit, Benesh to Tchaikovsky’s Nutcracker. Photograph. Canada’s National Ballet School (Project Grand Jeté, Stage 1). Web. 10 Oct. 2010. <http://www.kpmb.com/index.asp?navid=30&fid1=10&fid2=12>.
Arban, Tom. Suspended Curtain Wall. Photograph. Canada’s National Ballet School (Project Grand Jeté, Stage 1). Web. 10 Oct. 2010. <http://www.kpmb.com/index.asp?navid=30&fid1=10&fid2=12>.
“Architects’ Notes.” Canada’s National Ballet School. Web. 10 Oct. 2010. <http://www.nbs-enb.ca/facilities/pgj/default.aspx>.
“Canada’s National Ballet School (Project Grand Jeté, Stage 1).” KPMB Architects. Web. 10 Oct. 2010. <http://www.kpmb.com/index.asp?navid=30&fid1=10&fid2=12#desc>.
Sobchak, Peter. “The whole pointe. ” Canadian Interiors 1 Jan 2006: CBCA Complete, ProQuest. Web. 18 Sep. 2010.
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