Margo Fonteyn English ballet dancer Date of Birth: 18.05.1919 Country: Great Britain

Biography of Margot Fonteyn

Margot Fonteyn, an English ballet dancer, is considered one of the most renowned dancers of the 20th century. She began her ballet training at the age of five under the guidance of Grace Bosustow and continued her lessons with various teachers in the countries where her family lived. At the age of fifteen, Fonteyn entered the London school led by Ninette de Valois, the founder and director of the Vic-Wells Ballet Company. This company was the predecessor of the Sadler's Wells Ballet, now known as the Royal Ballet.

Fonteyn made her debut in 1934 and quickly garnered attention in minor roles. After Alicia Markova left the company, leading roles in classical ballets such as Swan Lake (music by Tchaikovsky, 1935), Giselle (music by A. Adam, 1937), and The Sleeping Beauty (music by Tchaikovsky, 1939) were entrusted to her. It was during this time that she began collaborating with choreographer Frederick Ashton, performing in his productions of Symphonic Variations to music by C. Franck (1946), Daphnis and Chloe (music by C. Debussy, 1951), Sylvia (music by L. Delibes, 1952), and Ondine (music by H.W. Henze, 1958).

Fonteyn's performance as Princess Aurora in The Sleeping Beauty (1949, New York) brought her worldwide acclaim. In 1962, her successful partnership with Rudolf Nureyev began. Nureyev had defected to the West a year earlier during the touring of the Kirov Ballet Company. Their performances in Ashton's Marguerite and Armand to music by F. Liszt (1963), Kenneth MacMillan's Romeo and Juliet (music by S. Prokofiev, 1965), and Roland Petit's Pelleas and Melisande to music by A. Schoenberg (1969) became triumphant successes.

In 1970, Fonteyn danced in the ballet Poème de l'extase (to music by A.N. Scriabin), choreographed for her by John Cranko. In 1972, she appeared in the film "I am a Dancer." In 1954, Fonteyn became the president of the Royal Academy of Dance and was appointed Dame Commander of the Order of the British Empire in 1956.