Fernand Nault, OC, CQ (27 December 1920 – 26 December 2006) 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.

Early life and career

He was born Fernand-Noël Boissonneault in

Montreal Montreal is the List of towns in Quebec, largest city in the Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Quebec, the List of the largest municipalities in Canada by population, second-largest in Canada, and the List of North American cit ...

. After he abandoned his original career intent of becoming a priest, he studied dance with Maurice Morenoff in Montreal and later with prominent teachers in

New York City New York, often called New York City (NYC), is the most populous city in the United States, located at the southern tip of New York State on one of the world's largest natural harbors. The city comprises five boroughs, each coextensive w ...

London London is the Capital city, capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of both England and the United Kingdom, with a population of in . London metropolitan area, Its wider metropolitan area is the largest in Wester ...

, and

Paris Paris () is the Capital city, capital and List of communes in France with over 20,000 inhabitants, largest city of France. With an estimated population of 2,048,472 residents in January 2025 in an area of more than , Paris is the List of ci ...

. In 1944, Nault was hired by the

American Ballet Theatre American Ballet Theatre (ABT) is a classical ballet company based in New York City. Founded in 1939 by Lucia Chase and Richard Pleasant. Through 2019, it had an annual eight-week season at the Metropolitan Opera House (Lincoln Center) in the spr ...

at an audition in Montreal to replace an injured dancer. He went on to become a distinguished character dancer, ballet master with the company, and later director of the company's school. After twenty-one years with the company, he returned to Montreal in 1965 and accepted the invitation of Ludmilla Chiriaeff to become co-artistic director and resident choreographer of Les Grands Ballets Canadiens.

Working in Canada

Nault's best-known work is probably his spectacular production of ''Casse-Noisette'' (''

The Nutcracker ''The Nutcracker'' (, ), Opus number, Op. 71, is an 1892 two-act classical ballet (conceived as a '; ) by Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky, set on Christmas Eve at the foot of a Christmas tree in a child's imagination featuring a Nutcracker doll. Th ...

''), which has been performed annually during the Christmas season in Montreal for many years. Other major works include ''Carmina Burana'', created in 1962 and given a new production in 1966 by Les Grands Ballets Canadiens for the company's season during

Expo 67 The 1967 International and Universal Exposition, commonly known as Expo 67, was a general exhibition from April 28 to October 29, 1967. It was a category one world's fair held in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. It is considered to be one of the most s ...

, and the hugely successful rock ballet ''Tommy'', created in 1970 and based on the

rock opera A rock opera is a collection of rock music songs with lyrics that relate to a common story. Rock operas are typically released as concept albums and are not scripted for acting, which distinguishes them from operas, although several have been ad ...

by The Who. Nault was also choreographer and ballet master for the École Supérieure de Danse du Québec, the school established by Madame Chiriaeff in 1966. He remained active with Les Grands Ballets Canadiens for many years and in 1990 was named choreographer emeritus, a title he held until his death.

Working in the United States

Besides his work for Canadian companies, he was also guest choreographer for several troupes in the United States, including the Denver Civic Ballet, the Atlanta Ballet, and the Colorado Ballet, for which he also served for a time as artistic director.

Honors and death

Nault was made 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 ...

in 1977 and a Chevalier de l' Ordre National du Québec in 1990. In 2000, Nault received a

Governor General's Performing Arts Award The Governor General's Performing Arts Awards are an annual Canadian award, presented to honour distinguished achievements in Canadian performing arts and culture. Administered by the Governor General’s Performing Arts Awards Foundation in associ ...

for Lifetime Artistic Achievement, Canada's foremost honour in the performing arts. He died in Montreal the day before his 86th birthday after a long battle with

Parkinson's disease Parkinson's disease (PD), or simply Parkinson's, is a neurodegenerative disease primarily of the central nervous system, affecting both motor system, motor and non-motor systems. Symptoms typically develop gradually and non-motor issues become ...

References

External links

Fernand Nault page at Canadian EncyclopediaMontreal choreographer Fernand Nault dies (CBC.ca)
{{DEFAULTSORT:Nault, Fernand 1920 births 2006 deaths Canadian choreographers Canadian male ballet dancers Knights of the National Order of Quebec Officers of the Order of Canada Neurological disease deaths in Quebec Deaths from Parkinson's disease in Canada Entertainers from Montreal Prix Denise-Pelletier winners Canadian LGBTQ dancers Canadian expatriates in the United States 20th-century Canadian LGBTQ people Governor General's Award winners