Exploring Celia Franca's Iconic Style at The Image Centre

A woman in a stylish black coat and a scarf smiles while walking towards a vintage airplane at an airport, holding sunglasses in one hand and a handbag in the other.

The name Celia Franca (1921–2007) is forever associated with the National Ballet of Canada, as its co-founder, its revered artistic director, a choreographer and sometime dancer adored by audiences.

A black and white photograph of three ballet dancers practicing in front of a mirror. Two dancers, a male and a female, are performing a lift, while a third female dancer with braids holds the lifted dancer's hand and looks on.

“Franca and her signature look—thin drawn on eyebrows, pale face makeup, and red lipstick with her hair either in two braids or tied back in a chignon—became a personification of the company itself,” according to notes for the Staging Celia Franca exhibition, at The Image Centre in Toronto.

A black and white photograph of a group of young women and men posing on a staircase outside a brick building, surrounded by ivy. The women are wearing various dresses, while the men are casually leaning over the railing.

Through archival images from The National Ballet of Canada’s Archive and Dance Collection Danse, this exhibition lifts the curtain on Franca’s off-stage wardrobe from 1951–1959. During this period, Franca was at the helm of the NBC as Artistic Director and, simultaneously served as a dancer by necessity while the NBC was in its infancy. Her dual role was reflected in her wardrobe, as she retained balletic influences—with the help of Christian Dior’s ‘New Look’ silhouette—yet cleverly used her clothing to separate herself from the rest of the NBC’s dancers – The Image Centre.

The Image Centre Exhibition, through Feb. 21, 2026, here.

Instagram for The Image Centre, here.

Image in the banner at the top of this post from National Ballet of Canada Celia Franca Society, here.