Montreal choreographer Fernand Nault dies

Prominent Quebec dancer and choreographer Fernand Nault died Tuesday at a Montreal hospital.

Born Dec. 27, 1920 in Montreal, he would have been 86on Wednesday. He had been suffering from Parkinson's disease.

Nault created a range of classical and contemporary ballets that demanded great technical and interpretative ability from dancers.

His choreography of the Carmina Burana was an international sensation and his version of The Nutcracker is presented annually in Montreal by Les Grands Ballets Canadiens.

The Nutcracker was the first ballet that he created when he joined Les Grands Ballets in 1964 and reflected Nault's generous spirit,Alain Dancyger, executive director of the Montreal company, said in interview with CBC.ca

"One of the reasons The Nutcracker was so popular is that sense of innocence that pervades the ballet and the way the children style it so beautifully," he said.

Nault was a "very accessible, very simple" man to work with,Dancyger recalled.

"He was very much loved by everyone he met, but, because he'd been a teacher, he had a special connection with the students."

Nault studied dance with Maurice Morenoff in Montreal and then with other renowned masters in New York, London and Paris.

In 1944, he replaced an injured dancer in American Ballet Theatre when the company was performing in Montreal.

He then moved to New York, becoming a dancer with the American Ballet Theatre, then latertaking on the role of ballet master. From 1960 to 1964, he was also director of the company's school in New York.

In 1965, he became resident choreographer and co-artistic director of Les Grands Ballets Canadiens in Montreal.

He choreographed a diverse range of worksfor the company, including La Fille mal garde, Danses concertantes, Symphony of Psalms, Libert tempre, La Scouine and The Seven Deadly Sins.

Nault remained resident choreographer of Les Grands Ballets Canadiens while serving as choreographer and ballet master at l'cole suprieure de danse du Qubec.

His 1970 version of Tommy,basedon The Who's rock opera,and Carmina Burana, created forMontreal's Expo '67,received international acclaim.

Nault began to choreograph works for companies throughoutthe world, including American Ballet Theatre, Alberta Ballet, Atlanta Ballet, Joffrey Ballet, National Ballet of Korea and Washington Ballet.

Guest choreographer

From 1978 to 1981, he was guest choreographerof the Colorado Ballet, where he was artistic director from1981 to 1982.

He also choreographed the dance sequences of Ada and La Veuve joyeuse presented by L'Opra de Montral in 1986 and 1991, as well as choreographing works for television.

In 2003, Nault founded the Fonds Chorgraphique Fernand Nault, a trust with themission of making his repertoire accessible to professional dance companies and schools.

"I think he was creating new style and already sharing or influencing the ballet to the modern world, so his works are still very contemporary so it's a mixture of classical and the evolution of dance," said Nault's assistant Andr Laprise.

Nault received the Centennial Medal in 1967 and was awarded the Order of Canada in 1977 and the Governor General's Award for the performing arts in 2000.

Quebec has made him Chevalier de l'Ordre national du Qubec and gave him thePrix Denise Pelletier, a lifetime achievement award.

Nault, made choreographer emeritus atLes Grands Ballets in 1990, stayed involved with the company until his health began failing about a year ago.

"It's quite fitting that he left us the day before his birthday and with The Nutcracker still on," Dancyger said.

"Every time I go back to the ballet, I notice something new in it."