Author of the Tundra classic, On Stage, Please and former Prima Ballerina with the National Ballet of Canada, Veronica Tennant C.C, unveiled an art installation at the Hospital for Sick Children yesterday evening. Donated by artist Rita Briansky, the permanent installation is part of a special gallery in the Hospital’s Sears Cancer Clinic.
Briansky’s fourteen etchings from On Stage, Please will accompany a glass mosaic titled “Pomp and Be Bop, Revisited”, a re-design of an original piece designed by the late Gundar Robez.
The new Clinic, which opened in January 2010, features colourful décor, including original works of art by clinic patients and fun activities to keep children of all ages entertained.
Originally published in 1977, On Stage, Please was written while Veronica Tennant was principal dancer with the National Ballet of Canada. Over thirty years later, this entrancing story of a young girl’s first steps in the world of dance remains a favourite among young dancers in Canada and abroad.