Margot Fonteyn

Dame Margaret Evelyn de Arias DBE was an English ballerina who performed under the stage name Margot Fonteyn. She danced for the Royal Ballet (previously the Sadler's Wells Theatre Company) her entire career, finally being named prima ballerina assoluta of the company by Queen Elizabeth II. She began ballet lessons when she was four years old and studied in England and China, where her father was moved for work. Her training in Shanghai was with Russian expatriate dancer Georgy Goncharov, which fueled her passion in Russian ballet.

Fonteyn, a dancer of unparalleled musicality, line, and grace, was instrumental in making ballet more accessible and popular in the United Kingdom than it had ever been. Her collaboration with Rudolf Nureyev captivated the public; following their first performance together in Giselle in 1962, they received 23 curtain calls. But Fonteyn was a global sensation long before Nureyev: she took the lead in Swan Lake the year he was born, and she is still the Royal Ballet's only Prima Ballerina Assoluta.

Dame Margot Fonteyn's generosity to her art and to the world of ballet in general was enormous, as she gave her performances everything she was and everything she had. Her serenity, sensitivity, and graceful body shapes that appeared absolutely natural and effortless while pushing the bounds of classical ballet were praised. She is definitely one of the best female ballet dancers.

Born: 1919
Died: 1991
Nationality: English