Tonight I  watched my 11 year old granddaughter perform in her year end dance recital and was reminiscing about my days of ballet lessons in the mid-‘60s in Kamloops, BC where Sonia gave lessons one summer.  I was about 10 or 11 at the time - same age as my granddaughter. I never forgot that time and felt compelled to “google” Sonia to learn about her whereabouts now. I am so sorry she has passed but reading these comments reinforces my belief that she lives on in all the wonderful memories she gave us all.  I’m 72 now and have never forgotten what a truly special experience that was.

Today, in NB, I always admire her as a ballerina,
I have met her in person, at the Place des arts, d Montreal in her own studio performing - "Gisele".
I was 23-24 yrs old, 1973-74.
Mad. Fladimir  Gelinex.Polish, who played Violin, with the Grand Ballet Canadien symphony, her husband was the director.
I was introduced to her, and I wanted a pair of shoes, ballet slippers 
Their was tonn of shoes...in her private room of the artist.

In 1976 I attended summer school with Alberta ballet . Sonia Tavener was the guest teacher for ballet that year. I remember how marvelous she was to me as a human being. She treated me like a person. She was kind and generous and very warm personality. I remember waiting every day to take a new class with her because she taught me so much. I actually think I cried on our very last class because I knew I would never see her again. I hold onto my memories of class with her like a treasure. What a wonderful lady.🌹

Sonia Taverner invited me to produce a special concert at the Citadel Theatre, featuring Claude Kenneson, Sylvia Hunter and dancer Vincent Warren - it was spectacular, and the weeks of preparation meant many dinners chez Sonia featuring lamb chops with mint sauce.  A wonderful person and a beautiful dancer. 


In the mid 1960's, when I was in my early 20's, I took my sister, Rita, to the Playhouse, in Fredericton, NB, for a ballet performance, with Sonia Taverner as the prima ballerina.  My sister had cerebral palsy and could not walk or talk, was in a wheelchair, but loved the Arts. As I had done some acting at the Playhouse, the staff were always accommodating and had set aside a special place, at the end of a row and near an exit, for my sister's wheelchair. The staff also made sure that my sister and I were escorted to the Green Room to meet the performers. When Sonia came to meet my sister, she immediately removed her ballet shoes, autographed them and gave them to my sister. These slippers hung in a special place in my sister's room, until the day she died. My first daughter was named Rita and she was given these same slippers to hang in her room. My daughter Rita, has a daughter named Olivia (13) who now has the slippers in her room and is madly in love with ballet and has been dancing since she was 4 years old. This past fall, she was told she could go "en pointe" and immediately came home and placed Sonia's slippers on her feet.  My daughter, my granddaughter and I cried. Although my meeting with Sonia Taverner was a small moment in time, Ms. Taverner impacted our family in such a wonderful way. I am so sorry for your loss. I just discovered last night (April 24, 2018) that a wonderful light was lost in your lives but one whose story will continue in my family for ages to come.  Sincerely, Carole Linda Miller  Fredericton New Brunswick 

One of the most memorable experiences of my life was when my mother took me backstage to meet Sonia Taverner after a performance of Swan Lake with the Royal Winnipeg Ballet. My mother was also English- born and had grown up in a similar part of England. I was about  ten at the time, and was struck by how generous and kind this grand person was to talk to a stranger,  given how exhausted she must have been. The RWB was fortunate enough to have another great ballerina - Evelyn Hart - play this demanding double role, but none can compare in my memory to Sonia Taverner.

The members of the Alumni Association of the Royal Winnipeg Ballet  were  saddened  to learn of their colleague's death.  Rest in peace, Sonia.

OBITUARY

Sonia Taverner

18 May, 1936 – 10 February, 2018

Parkland Funeral Services

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