1932 - Dorothy Cox Scruton becomes
the first and only Canadian member of The Association of Operatic Dancing
when she moved to London, Ontario and established her own school. At this
time, there was no RAD activity in Canada.
1936 - The Association of Operatic Dancing is renamed the
Royal Academy of Dancing.
1939 - Bettina Byers opens her own studio in Toronto to
teach the RAD method after being encouraged by Phyllis Bedells, one of the
originating five founders of the Academy.
1940 - Dame Adeline Genée, the Academy's President, tours
Canada; giving lectures and demonstrating the benefits of the RAD.
1941 - Dame Adeline Genée returns to Canada to conduct
the first examinations in Canada (16 Children and 17 Major entries combined
from Toronto and Winnipeg); Bettina Byers and Gweneth Lloyd also become
Organizers.
1946 - The work of the RAD in Canada really starts when
Mara McBirney visits Canada after WW II from the United Kingdom on a lecture-demonstration
assignment. Her lively teaching was invaluable to teachers across the country
and encouraged the spread of RAD activity and the raising of teaching standards.
1948 - The first Solo Seal candidates are examined in Canada;
the highest level of pre-professional training offered in the RAD.
1949 - Mara McBirney moves to Canada and becomes Organizer
for British Columbia.
1950 - Within ten years, the Canadian branch expands to
nine examining centres with 888 candidates entering for both Children and
Majors examinations.
1956 - Doreen Scouler becomes Secretary of the RAD in Canada
and Leonard Crainford is appointed Honourary Chairman.
1960 - Examination entries climb to 1,912 (Children) and
160 (Majors) examinations being conducted across the country.
1967 - Prior to now, Canada was dependent on examiners
from the United Kingdom for all of its examining tours. However, in 1967,
four fully trained Children's Examiners- Ruth Carse, Sonia Chamberlain,
Louise Goldsmith and Maisie MacPhee become the first certified in Canada.
1975 - Bettina Byers is honoured with FRAD (Fellow of the
Royal Academy of Dance) by John Field, then General Secretary of the Academy.
1976 - The first Student Teaching Certificate examinations
are conducted at the Canadian College of Dance, Ryerson Polytechnical Institute.
1977 - RAD/Canada opens its own national office on Yonge
Street in Toronto.
1980 - Leonard Crainford retires as Honourary Chairman.
1982 - RAD/Canada holds its first International Summer
School in Toronto.
1988 - Chan Hon Goh is awarded the Adeline Genée Silver
Medal; and Jan Garvey becomes the new Administrator as Doreen Scouler retires.
1995 - Dorothy Cox-Scruton is presented with the President's
Award for her continued loyalty and service to the Academy.
1996 - The National Ballet School in Toronto, Ontario introduces
the Academy's syllabus to its Teacher Training Course.
1998 - RAD/Canada first collaborates with Canadian Children's
Dance Theatre to offer a three-week intensive Summer School emphasizing
Classical Ballet and Limon Modern in Toronto.
1999 - Fine Arts Degree in Dance from Ryerson University
comes into effect.
2000 - Royal Academy of Dancing becomes known as the Royal
Academy of Dance. It also acquires qualifications by the Qualifications
and Curriculum Authority in England and its partner regulatory authorities
in Wales and Northern Ireland, changing its two syllabi from "Children's"
to Graded Examinations in Dance and from "Majors" to Vocational Graded Examinations
in Dance.
2002 - The Academy's children's website, www.radacadabra.org
is launched, followed by RAD/Canada's own website on July 1st.
2003 - To gain international recognition, the Teaching
Certificate Program is revised from a three-year program to a two-year distance
learning endeavour.
2004 - The University of Surrey (UK) partners with the
Academy to provide degree initiatives. In Toronto, the national office relocates
to larger facilities. A new Pre-School Dance Curriculum is introduced.
2005 - The Royal Academy of Dance celebrates its 85th Anniversary.
Celine Gittens becomes the first Canadian to ever win a Gold Medal at the
Genée International Ballet Competition. RAD/Canada's website is re-launched
with a fresh and dynamic new look.
2006 - Fei Fei Ye and Kostantyn Keshyshev win Silver Medals
at the Genée International Ballet Competition in Hong Kong, where
Fei Fei also won the Audience Award. Bettina Byers FRAD, passes away at
the age of 97.
Today - There are close to 14,000 Graded and Vocational
Graded examinations conducted annually across the country, with the Canadian
examination panel expanding to eight Graded Examiners, two Vocational Graded
Examiners and two Dual Examiners (who conduct both Graded and Vocational
Graded examinations).
