Frank Augustyn

Frank Augustyn trained at the National Ballet School and then joined the National Balletr of Canada in 1970. He was recognized for his talent and quickly rose to become a soloist in 1971 and then principal dancer in 1972. Dancing with frequent partner Karen Kain, they won the award for best pas de deux at the 1973 Moscow International Ballet Competition. He established himself as a guest artist and danced with such renowned companies as Boston Ballet, Royal Ballet, Turin Ballet, The Royal Winnipeg Ballet, Shanghai Ballet, Beijing Ballet, Bolshoi Ballet and Kirov Ballet He was invested as an Officer of the Order of Canada in 1979. He briefly joined the Berlin Opera Ballet in 1980 but returned to the National Ballet in 1981. That year he also became permanent guest artist with the Boston Ballet. In 1989 he resigned from the National Ballet to assume the artistic directorship of Theatre Ballet of Canada, renamed the Ottawa Ballet. He became Director of the Dance Department at Adelphi University in Garden City, New York in the fall of 2000, was granted tenure in 2006 and appointed Chair of the Dance Department in 2007.