Canadian History Ehx

Sources:

Canadian Encyclopedia: buff.ly/PJlq7XA
Cecchetti International: buff.ly/ok0nMVk
Cabbagetown People: buff.ly/AJS3Niu
Canada's National Ballet School: buff.ly/fhgjYUk
Governor General's Performing Arts Awards: buff.ly/a7viPZq

Craig Baird is creating Canadian history content Hello!Bringing Canadian history to people is my full-time job through my podcast Canadian History Ehx, and on social media.I love Canadian history and I share my passion with my listeners and viewers.

I hope you enjoyed that look at the life of Betty Oliphant.

If you enjoy my Canadian history content, you can support my work with a donation at 👇
www.buymeacoffee.com/craigu

*sources in next post*

🧵 8/8

Interior photograph of an empty theater auditorium featuring a large blue stage curtain, a grand piano on the stage behind a velvet rope barrier, tiered rows of dark seats facing the stage, side balconies, and overhead spotlights.

For her contribution to Canadian ballet, Oliphant received the Order of Canada. In 1988, the National Ballet School of Canada named a performance space the Betty Oliphant Theatre. She was also awarded the Order of Ontario. Oliphant died on July 12, 2004.

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Black and white photograph of an older woman with white hair, wearing a sweater and plaid skirt, seated on a chair and gesturing while speaking to a group of young female ballet students in leotards sitting on the floor around her; two dancers perform leg extensions at the barre in the background.

As an instructor, she was known for her strict manner, insistence on technique and her high standards expected of her students. As a teacher, she was in high demand across the world. She reorganized the Royal Swedish Opera School and the Royal Danish Ballet School.

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Black and white photograph of an older woman with white hair in a checkered short-sleeved shirt and pants demonstrating a ballet pose with one arm raised, while several young female dancers in leotards mimic poses behind her in a dance studio with wooden panels.

In 1969, she became the artistic director of the National Ballet of Canada, a position she held until 1975. She was also the director of the National Ballet School of Canada until 1989. She was recognized as one of the leading ballet instructors in the world.

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Black and white photograph of a young male dancer in a sleeveless leotard and tights practicing at a ballet barre, with an older woman in a light blouse and pants adjusting his arm position.

Together with Franca, she founded the National Ballet School of Canada in 1959. Some of Canada's top ballet dancers trained there including Rex Harrington, Karen Kain, James Kudelka and Veronica Tennant. Under her leadership, the school quickly expanded.

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Black and white photograph of two women in formal off-the-shoulder dresses, one wearing a brooch and both with earrings, looking to the side with subtle smiles.

When she was 17, she decided to open her own ballet school in England as she felt she was too tall to be a top dancer.
In 1947, she moved to Canada to become the ballet mistress of the National Ballet of Canada at the request of Celia Franca.

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Black and white photograph of four women in a dance studio, posing with one leg extended backward and arms raised; the foreground woman wears a plaid skirt, light top, and flat shoes, while others wear leotards; arched windows in the background.

Betty Oliphant was born in London, England on Aug. 5, 1918. Her father died in a train crash only weeks after her birth. Oliphant also suffered from pneumonia and a doctor recommended ballet lessons to help her with her breathing. She soon started training as a dancer.

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Black and white photograph of an older woman with short white hair, wearing a light silky blouse, pants, a pendant necklace, and a wristwatch, standing in an empty auditorium and leaning on a railing with a serious expression as she gazes toward the stage. In the background, a vast empty stage with a black curtain features a grand piano, a ballet barre along the wall, and three distant figures: two people conversing near a chair (one possibly holding an instrument or object), and another person walking across the floor. Rows of unoccupied seats fill the midground.

When it comes to the history of ballet in Canada, Betty Oliphant was one of our most influential figures.
She co-founded the National Ballet School of Canada, and spent decades training ballet dancers.
This is her story.

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Sources:

Vintage Unscripted: vintageunscripted.com/the-legend-o...
Boing Boing: www.truenorthdreamin.com/news/househi...
Concerned Children's Advertisers: www.kidsandyouth.com/9.05.pdf

Craig Baird is creating Canadian history content Hello!Bringing Canadian history to people is my full-time job through my podcast Canadian History Ehx, and on social media.I love Canadian history and I share my passion with my listeners and viewers.

I hope you enjoyed that look at the House Hippo.

If you enjoy my Canadian history content, you can support my work with a donation at 👇
www.buymeacoffee.com/craigu

*sources in next post*

🧵 10/10

The House Hippo Support Canadian History Ehx with a donation at Narrated in the style of a Hinterland Who’s Who, a fictional animal found “throughout Canada, and the eastern United States” is sho…

Today, the House Hippo can be found on merchandise, and even has a page on Urban Dictionary. There is even a band called House Hippo.

Learn more in my Deep Dive 👇
canadaehx.com/2021/10/24/t...

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The hippos are back to remind us that in today's digital world, critical thinking is more important than ever. Visit www.BreaktheFake.ca for resources to help you learn how to figure out what's real… House hippo 2.0

Two decades after the House Hippo first appeared on television, it returned in a new PSA that was focused on media literacy and social media. It was released as part of a campaign called Break the Fake.
youtu.be/5R_tOSRynZU?...

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A CCA PSA that tells us not everything on TV is real... House Hippo

When the House Hippo first appeared on TV, young children believed that the creature was real and wanted one in their home.
From this point on, the House Hippo was cemented as a cultural icon.

www.youtube.com/watch?v=NBfi...

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A blurry vintage video frame showing an orange cat stealthily approaching a small, dark hippopotamus-like creature on a tiled floor in a dimly lit room, with wooden furniture legs in the foreground.

Every detail from the colour of the hippo to the lightning in the videos, had to be compensated for to make the PSA as believable as possible.
This attention to detail had a surprising impact on Canadian children, the target audience for the PSA.

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A blurry close-up of a small, gray hippopotamus-like creature nibbling on a piece of toast or cracker on a brown couch cushion.

All of the interior shots were done in a Toronto home. To achieve the look of the hippo settling into a nest in the closet, they used wires to pull on the nest to make it look like a hippo was rustling in it. This was then synced up with the hippo footage.

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This very short documentary from the Hinterland Who’s Who series introduces viewers to the grizzly bear. 1972 | 1 min Watch more free films on NFB.ca → http://bit.ly/YThpNFB Subscribe to our… HINTERLAND WHO'S WHO: GRIZZLY | Full Documentary | National Film Board of Canada

They also decided to model it off the famous Hinterland's Who's Who. Real stock footage of hippos was used rather than computer generated hippos. Each video was composited to make it look like it was just one hippo.
www.youtube.com/watch?v=V5wA...

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A large hippopotamus wading through shallow water in a grassy savanna landscape, with a golden sunset glow illuminating its wet, muddy skin.

Spin Productions was tasked with creating the PSA. According to writer Siobhan Dempsey, the idea for a small animal living in the house came from Malcolm Roberts. While a giraffe and moose were suggested, the hippo was chosen instead.

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A blurry vintage video frame displaying the text "CONCERNED Children's Advertisers and Partners in Canada's drug strategy" with a small graphic of a marijuana joint and arrow symbols, set against a light background with black borders.

In the late-1990s, Concerned Children's Advertisers was looking for a new way to teach about media literacy to children on television.
Since 1990, the organization had produced over 30 PSAs for children related to drug abuse, self esteem and bullying.

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A blurry photo of a small, dark hippopotamus-like creature grazing on a dimly lit indoor floor near green buckets labeled "JAM," with a spotlight casting shadows.

When the House Hippo first appeared on Canadian televisions, it seemed that everyone wanted one to appear in their homes.
This commercial became a part of the Canadian cultural landscape and even today, the House Hippo is beloved by Canadians.

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Sources:

Canadian Encyclopedia: www.thecanadianencyclopedia.ca/en/article/w...
IMDB: www.imdb.com/name/nm0242801
NFB: www.nfb.ca/directors/wi...

Craig Baird is creating Canadian history content Hello!Bringing Canadian history to people is my full-time job through my podcast Canadian History Ehx, and on social media.I love Canadian history and I share my passion with my listeners and viewers.

I hope you enjoyed that look at the life of Willie Dunn.

If you enjoy my Canadian history content, you can support my work with a donation at 👇
buymeacoffee.com/craigu

*sources in next post*

🧵10/10

Color photograph of Willie Dunn, a man with medium-length dark hair and sideburns, gazing thoughtfully to the side with a neutral expression, wearing a green turtleneck shirt, seated against a background featuring vertical rainbow-colored stripes on the left transitioning to a white wall on the right.

Today, the work of Dunn is widely celebrated. He is considered one of Canada's finest musicians and filmmakers of the latter-half of the 20th century.
In 2020, the Prism Prize introduced a lifetime achievement award named in honour of Dunn.

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Color photograph of Willie Dunn, an older man with short graying hair, looking directly at the camera with a serious expression, wearing a blue shirt with geometric and striped patterns. He is positioned behind a foreground of twisted metal branches or fence, with a light blue building and windows in the blurred background under daylight.

A lifelong member of the NDP, Dunn ran in the 1993 election in Ottawa-Vanier. He finished fourth in voting.
In 2005, he was inducted into the Aboriginal Walk of Honour in Edmonton.
Dunn passed away in Ottawa on Aug. 5, 2013 at the age of 71.

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Black and white photograph of Willie Dunn, a man with medium-length wavy hair wearing a headband, looking directly at the camera with a neutral expression, dressed in a dark jacket over a collared shirt, standing in a vast open grassy field under a clear sky. The image has a blue tint gradient at the top, with text overlay "Willie Dunn" on the left and "The Pacific" on the right, and small text at the bottom reading "Some Lieder der indigenischen Sänger aus Kanada."

His music was featured in work by other Canadian artists including Incident at Restigouche a 1984 NFB documentary by Alanis Obamsawin.
Dunn also made other films including The Eagle Project and The Voice of the Land and Self-Government.

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Orange background featuring a stylized outline of the North American continent formed by the words "Native North America Vol. One" in bold, brown, textured lettering with horizontal line patterns.

He would release four albums from 1971 to 1984, and later three anthologies.
His song School Days reached #35 on the Canadian Country Charts in 1971, while I Pity The Country reached #79 on the same chart in 1973.

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Orange-tinted illustration of Willie Dunn in profile view, with dark hair and a mustache, eyes closed and head slightly bowed, framed by a large glowing circular halo against a black background. Inside the lower part of the circle, a small scene shows two figures in traditional attire standing beside a horse. The word "summus" is in the top right corner, and "Willie dunn" is written in large, stylized lettering at the bottom.

The film was groundbreaking and is considered by some to be the first Canadian music video.
It won several awards including a Gold Hugo for Best Short Film at the 1969 Chicago International Film Festival.
In 1971, Dunn released his first album, Willie Dunn.

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This short film examines the situation of Aboriginal people in North America through the figure of Crowfoot, the legendary 19th-century Blackfoot leader of the Plains. A rapid montage of archival… THE BALLAD OF CROWFOOT | Full Documentary | National Film Board of Canada

As a leading member of the all-Indigenous film production unit formed by the NFB in 1968, he turned his 10-minute song The Ballad of Crowfoot into a music video.
This was the first NFB film directed by an Indigenous filmmaker.

Watch it here:
youtube.com/watch?v=l-32...

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Black and white photograph of Willie Dunn, a man with long dark hair and a beard, eyes closed and mouth open wide as if singing passionately, while playing an acoustic guitar. He is wearing a long-sleeved shirt, positioned in front of multiple microphones suspended nearby, against a dark background.

His music drew comparisons to several contemporaries including Gordon Lightfoot and Leonard Cohen.
One of his most famous songs was The Ballad of Crowfoot. This song was about the unjust and inhumane treatment of the First Nations by the government.

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Black and white close-up photograph of Willie Dunn, a man with short dark hair combed to the side, looking slightly downward with his mouth open as if singing or speaking into a small microphone positioned in front of him. He is wearing a ribbed sweater over a collared shirt, with a guitar strap visible over his shoulder. The background is blurred, featuring indistinct figures that appear to be an audience.

Born in Montreal on Aug. 14, 1941, when Dunn was 19 he joined the army and served until 1963. During that time, he received the UN Congo Medal.
He then began to develop his music.
His music were often protest songs from an Indigenous perspective.

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