Dame Margot Fonteyn; almost no introduction is needed for the most famous ballet dancer of our time who brought audiences to tears and commanded numerous curtain-calls.
British dance would not be where it is today if it was not for the great performers who made it all possible. One of the most well known names, and possibly the greatest ballet dancer of all time is Dame Margot Fonteyn.
Born in Surrey in 1919, Margot Fonteyn found her love of classical ballet at the age of four when she started taking ballet lessons with her brother.
When she was six years old, Margot moved to China with her family, where she trained with Russian teacher, George Goncharov. At the age of fourteen, Margot returned to London with her mother and began to pursue a professional career as a professional ballet dancer.
Dame Margot began her career in 1933 when she joined the Vic-Wells Ballet School, and enjoyed excellent success during those early years, by 1939, she had landed some of the biggest roles, and was appointed as Prima Ballerina.
The success was only set to continue as Dame Margot’s career progressed. During the 1940s’, Margot performed in ballets by some of the biggest names of all time, including, Frederick Ashton, Roland Petit, and Martha Graham. During this time, Fonteyn enjoyed more success when she toured the United States with the Royal Ballet. Although Margot was successful on a global scale, she remained loyal to the Royal Ballet, where she spent her whole dancing career.
(Image: Dame Margot Fonteyn and Rudolf Nureyev)