Ballet is an innovative art form with a rich cultural history. The origins of ballet can be traced back to the 15th century during the Italian Renaissance. The ballet was a type of entertainment taught to entertain aristocrats at court.
Many cultures all over the world have come to admire the elegance and emotion of the graceful and sweeping movements of ballet dancers. The ballet itself has evolved over time to become the dance form we know today. You can still see well-known ballet productions such as "The Nutcracker" and "Swan Lake" performed worldwide.
There are also many famous ballerinas of note throughout history. Around 77.8% of ballet dancers are female while only 22.2% are male. Female dancers are called ballerinas, while male ballet dancers are known as "danseurs" or are simply called principal dancers.
Want to know more about famous ballerinas? If so, keep reading below for fun and interesting information.
Anna Pavlova
Anna Pavlova is one of the most famous ballerinas of the 19th century. She was born in St. Petersburg, Russia in 1881. After watching a production of Sleeping Beauty with her mother at 8 years old, Anna decided she wanted to become a ballerina.
Pavlova not only starred in major roles, she even originated her own signature performance in "The Dying Swan". She also helped innovate modern ballet choreography and started her own ballet company.
Anna Pavlova toured and performed in productions all over the world. Although she passed away in 1931 at the age of 50 from pneumonia, her contributions and her legacy to the world of ballet are still recognized to this today.
Margot Fonteyn
Margot Fonteyn was one of the most famous ballerinas in England. She lived from 1919 to 1991 and was appointed as a prima ballerina assoluta by Queen Elizabeth II, a very high honor in the world of professional ballet.
Professional ballerinas follow a ranking system based on experience. Earning the title of prima ballerina requires a lot of hard work and sacrifice.
Fonteyn became a member of the Royal Ballet at age 16. She became an international sensation with her partner a Russian dancer named Rudolf Nureyev in the 1960s. She died from cancer at 72 but her legacy lives on through her dance accomplishments.
Maria Tallchief
Maria Tallchief is one of the most famous ballerinas for several reasons. First, she is considered the first prima ballerina in America, achieving this status in 1947 at the New York City Ballet. She also became the first Native American prima ballerina with roots in the Osage Nation Tribe.
Tallchief became the first American to perform at the Bolshoi Theatre in Moscow. She started training in ballet at age 3 and toured the world with many professional ballet companies. She founded the Chicago City Ballet company in 1974 and passed away in 2013 at 88 years old.
Natalia Osipova
Natalia Osipova started dancing ballet at 5 years old and has managed to become of the most famous ballerinas of the past 30 years. She is a Russian-born ballet dancer who was born in Moscow in 1986. Natalia has won multiple awards including the National Dance Awards honor for Best Female Dancer 3 times, more than any other dancer.
Osipova was originally going to pursue a career in gymnastics but ended up choosing professional ballet due to a spinal injury at 8 years old. She has danced with professional ballet companies such as the Bolshoi, Mikhailovsky, and Royal Ballet. She has also toured with the American Ballet Theatre.
Michaela DePrince
Michaela DePrince's story is one of inspiration and hope. She was born in wartorn Sierra Leone in 1995 and was orphaned at an early age. Michaela was often ostracized in the orphanage for her vitiligo, which caused white patches of skin to appear with her dark complexion.
She was adopted in 1999 and brought to the United States where she trained to become an accomplished and professional ballerina soloist. Despite her early struggles, DePrince managed to become one of the most famous ballerinas through determination and hard work. She wrote and released her memoir entitled "Hope in a Ballet Shoe" in 2014 to inspire others.
Virginia Johnson
Virginia Johnson was born in 1950 and started dancing ballet at 3 years old. She was the only African student at the Washington School of Ballet. Johnson was also one of the founding members of the Dance Theatre of Harlem in NYC.
It was a significant achievement since it was the first-ever all-African American-based ballet company. Virginia rose through the ranks to become one of the most famous ballerinas and obtain the title of prima ballerina with a 30-year career as a professional ballerina. Although she no longer dances, she is the Creative Director on staff.
Tiler Peck
Tiler Peck is a contemporary ballerina who was born in 1989 in California. She began dancing at the age of 2 years old in her mother's dance studio in Bakersfield. She rose through the ranks to become an international award-winning ballet dancer with the New York City Ballet.
She suffered from a painful and debilitating neck injury in 2019 and many doctors told her she would never dance again. But despite all of this Tiler recovered and came back to perform on stage in several ballet productions, including the Sugar Plum Fairy in "The Nutcracker." She is one of the most inspirational and famous ballerinas because of this.
Misty Copeland
Misty Copeland was born in 1982 in Kansas City, Missouri. She was raised by a single mother and endured many financial hardships. Copeland didn't start ballet training until 13, much older than when most ballerinas start, but she showed great talent and was considered to be a prodigy.
In June 2015, Misty Copeland was promoted to Principal Dancer for the American Ballet Theatre in New York City. This made her the first African American ballerina in the theatre's 75-year history and one of the most famous ballerinas in modern times. She shows the importance of representation for future ballerinas of all skin colors.
Learn More About Famous Ballerinas and Ballet at Stelle World
Professional ballerinas exude a special grace and charm with every movement they make. They are poetry in motion. Of course, this is just a small handful of the most influential and famous ballerinas to inspire you and your children.
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Comments
The term principal is used for men and women who have achieved that position in their respective company. There are male dancers who are soloists or demi soloists.
Principal dancer is not a term used for all male dancers.