Mavis Staines
Mavis Avril Staines, (born 9 April 1954) the first of her family to be a professional dancer, grew up in Quebec’s Eastern Township. In 1972 she graduated from Canada’s National Ballet School. After becoming a First Soloist with the National Ballet of Canada, Staines later joined The Dutch National Ballet where original work was created for her. After an injury cut her performance career short, she returned to Canada, enrolling in the National Ballet School's Teacher Training Program, becoming a member of the Artistic Faculty in 1982. In 1989 she was appointed Artistic Director of the School.[1]
For the celebration of the School’s 50th anniversary in 2009, she helped gather 13 of NBS’s partner schools from around the world to present the Assemblée Internationale with a focus on collaboration; a second Assemblée Internationale was remounted in 2013, with a focus on introducing new technology.
From 2002 and 2008, Staines was Artistic President of the Prix de Lausanne, In 1998 she won the Toronto Arts Award for the Performing Arts; In November 2006 she was named one of Canada’s Most Powerful Women by the Women’s Executive Network. In 2008 she was presented an Honorary Doctorate in Humanities from Mount Saint Vincent University. In 2010 Staines became Member of the Order of Canada in recognition of her commitment to furthering the field of dance education.