Gweneth Lloyd, O.C.

honour roll inductee

Biography

Gweneth Lloyd, O.C., was one of the Royal Winnipeg Ballet’s founders. Along with Betty Farrally, she established the Canadian School of Ballet and soon afterward, founded the Winnipeg Ballet Club.

Ms. Lloyd choreographed 36 ballets for the Winnipeg Ballet. In 1949, she received the official title of Director of Ballet, although she had served in that capacity since the beginning. She left Winnipeg on October 3, 1950 for Toronto. However, she retained the title of director until 1957.

At the inception of the Winnipeg Ballet Club, Ms. Lloyd offered free tuition for those accepted and raised awareness about ballet and the club through presentations, lecture demonstrations, the submission of articles to publications such as the Manitoba Arts Review and the Royal Academy of Dancing Gazette and teaching at select schools.

The first performance of the Winnipeg Ballet Club was part of a production to celebrate the visit of King George VI and Queen Elizabeth in May of 1939. It featured Kilowatt Magic and Grain, both choreographed by Ms. Lloyd. She also taught the dignitaries how to properly curtsey and bow. Other ballets Ms. Lloyd choreographed for the Winnipeg Ballet include Divertissements, Beauty and the Beast, Triple Alliance, Queen of Hearts, The Shooting of Dan McGrew, Rondel and many more. Unfortunately, most of her choreographic records were destroyed in the June 1954 fire of the old Winnipeg Ballet building.

Ms. Lloyd established another branch of the Canadian School of Ballet in Toronto and formed the short-lived Toronto Festival Dancers. She joined Betty Farrally in British Columbia in 1958, where they opened a branch of the Canadian School of Ballet in Kelowna. Lloyd continued to teach throughout British Columbia, choreographed for Kelowna Little Theatre and Vernon Little Theatre and was also an examiner for the Royal Academy of Dancing (RAD).

Throughout her career, Ms. Lloyd received many awards including the Centennial medal (1967), an Honorary Degree from the University of Calgary (1969), the Order of Canada (1969), the Civic Achievement Medal from the City of Winnipeg (1977), the Fellowship Award from the RAD (1979), the Dance Canada Award (1984), the Royal Bank Award (1987), the Diplôme d’honneur from the Canadian Conference for the Arts (1989), and the Governor General’s Performing Arts Award for Lifetime Achievement (1992).

Gweneth Lloyd died on January 1, 1993 in Kelowna, British Columbia.