Alan Lund, OC (May 23, 1925 – July 1, 1992) was a

Canadian Canadians () are people identified with the country of Canada. This connection may be residential, legal, historical or cultural. For most Canadians, many (or all) of these connections exist and are collectively the source of their being ''C ...

dancer and choreographer, who worked in television, movies and theatre. Lund trained as a dancer in his native

Toronto Toronto ( , locally pronounced or ) is the List of the largest municipalities in Canada by population, most populous city in Canada. It is the capital city of the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian province of Ontario. With a p ...

, Ontario and first established a performance reputation as a dance team with his wife Blanche, appearing during

World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

in the revue ''

Meet the Navy ''Meet the Navy'' was a musical revue produced by the Royal Canadian Navy during World War II. Directed by Hollywood producer Louis Silver and Broadway choreographer Larry Ceballos, the production premiered in a private performance for serviceme ...

''. The couple became two of the first contract players for

CBC Television CBC Television (also known as CBC TV, or simply CBC) is a Television in Canada, Canadian English-language terrestrial television, broadcast television network owned by the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation, the national public broadcasting, p ...

. Turning to choreography in the 1950s, Lund contributed to various productions, including ''Spring Thaw'', the

Canadian National Exhibition The Canadian National Exhibition (CNE), also known as The Exhibition or The Ex, is an annual fair that takes place at Exhibition Place in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, on the third Friday of August leading up to and including Labour Day (Canada), ...

grandstand show, and the

Stratford Festival The Stratford Festival is a repertory theatre organization that operates from April to October in the city of Stratford, Ontario, Canada. Founded by local journalist Tom Patterson in 1952, the festival was formerly known as the Stratford Shak ...

. From 1966 to 1986 he was artistic director of the

Charlottetown Festival The Charlottetown Festival is a seasonal Canadian musical theatre festival which has run from late May to mid-October every year since 1965. The Charlottetown Festival is hosted in Confederation Centre of the Arts every year. Named after its host c ...

, where he directed the successful musical, ''

Anne of Green Gables ''Anne of Green Gables'' is a 1908 novel by Canadian author Lucy Maud Montgomery (published as L. M. Montgomery). Written for all ages, it has been considered a classic children's novel since the mid-20th century. Set in the late 19th century, t ...

'', and several other productions. His own ''The Legend of the Dumbbells'' premiered at the festival in 1977. Later he directed and choreographed productions such as ''

Kiss Me, Kate ''Kiss Me, Kate'' is a musical with music and lyrics by Cole Porter and a book by Bella and Samuel Spewack. The story involves the production of a musical version of William Shakespeare's ''The Taming of the Shrew'' and the conflict on and off- ...

'' (Toronto, 1986). From 1987 until his death he was a resident director of the

Rainbow Stage Rainbow Stage is a not-for-profit musical theatre company and outdoor theatre operator, located in Kildonan Park in north Winnipeg, Manitoba. The covered amphitheatre seats up to 2,600 people and operates from May to September. History As urb ...

. Lund also worked with musical theatre students at the

Banff Centre Banff Centre for Arts and Creativity (formerly Banff Centre) is an arts and culture educational institution in Banff, Alberta, Banff, Alberta. It offers arts programs in the Performing arts, performing and fine arts, as well as leadership trai ...

for many years. He received an honorary degree from the

University of Prince Edward Island The University of Prince Edward Island (UPEI) is a public university in Charlottetown, Prince Edward Island, Canada, and the only university in the province. Founded in 1969, the enabling legislation is the ''University Act, R.S.P.E.I 2000.'' H ...

and became an Officer of the

Order of Canada The Order of Canada () is a Canadian state order, national order and the second-highest Award, honour for merit in the system of orders, decorations, and medals of Canada, after the Order of Merit. To coincide with the Canadian Centennial, ce ...

. Lund collaborated extensively with friend Alex Mustakas, artistic director of Drayton Entertainment. Since Lund's death, this organization has created a scholarship fund in his name for recipients pursuing careers in the arts. The scholarship is awarded annually at the ''Alan Lund Tribute Show'', a variety show and fundraiser at the Drayton Festival Theatre in

Drayton, Ontario Drayton is a community in Wellington County, Ontario, Canada. It is a part of the township of Mapleton. The village is on the corner of Wellington Road 8 and Wellington Road 11, geographically northwest of Fergus and southwest of Arthur. Hist ...

External links

''The Canadian Encyclopedia'' article on Alan Lund''Canadian Theater Encyclopedia'' article on Alan Lund
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'' Dancing in film in 1946 {{DEFAULTSORT:Lund, Alan 1925 births 1992 deaths Canadian male dancers Canadian choreographers Officers of the Order of Canada Dancers from Toronto