Danilova as Fanny Cerrito in Pas de Quatre. 1948

Aleksandra Dionisyevna Danilova (November 20, 1903-July 13, 1997) was a Russian-born prima ballerina assoluta who became a United States citizen. Image File history File links Download high-resolution version (819x1024, 77 KB)Portrait of Alexandra Danilova, as Fanny Cerrito in Pas de Quatre. ... Image File history File links Download high-resolution version (819x1024, 77 KB)Portrait of Alexandra Danilova, as Fanny Cerrito in Pas de Quatre. ... November 20 is the 324th day of the year (325th in leap years) in the Gregorian Calendar. ... 1903 (MCMIII) was a common year starting on Thursday (see link for calendar) of the Gregorian calendar or a common year starting on Friday of the 13-day slower Julian calendar. ... July 13 is the 194th day (195th in leap years) of the year in the Gregorian Calendar, with 171 days remaining. ... 1997 (MCMXCVII) was a common year starting on Wednesday of the Gregorian calendar. ... Maya Plisetskaya, prima ballerina of the Bolshoi Ballet from 1943 to 1960 and prima balerina assoluta from 1960 to 1990. ...

Born in Peterhof, Russia, she was trained at the two major schools in Leningrad (formerly and currently St. Petersburg), the Soviet State Ballet and Russian Imperial Ballet School. She was best known for being one of the few Russian-trained ballerinas to tour outside Russia. Her first professional post was as a member of the St. Petersburg's Imperial Ballet. Peterhof: the Samson Fountain and Sea Channel Peterhof, (originally Piterhof, Dutch: Peters Court) is a series of palaces and gardens, laid out on the orders of Tsar Peter the Great, and sometimes called the Russian Versailles. It is located about 20 km west and 6 km south of St... Saint Petersburg (Russian: Санкт-Петербу́рг, English transliteration: Sankt-Peterburg), colloquially known as Питер (transliterated Piter), formerly known as Leningrad (Ленингра́д, 1924–1991) and... Carlotta Brianza and Paul Gerdt of the Imperial Ballet as Princess Aurora and Prince Desire in the 1890 premiere of the Sleeping Beauty. ...

In 1924, she and George Balanchine left Russia. They were soon picked up by Serge Diaghilev's Ballets Russes; Danilova as a dancer, Balanchine as a choreographer. Danilova also toured for years with the Ballets Russes under Sergei Diaghilev, then with the Ballet Russe de Monto Carlo after Diaghilev's death. She was one of her generation's biggest stars, but Danilova was never good at handling her finances. Her last ballet performance was in 1951, but she made her Broadway musical comedy debut in 1958 in Oh, Captain!. She appeared in a single scene, a dance with the show's star, Tony Randall, which stole the show. Many have said it was the finest dance number in a post-war musical. Unfortunately, the show was a commercial failure and quickly closed. She was desperate when she again met Balanchine on the street in 1964. When he heard of her plight he instantly hired her to teach at the School of American Ballet. One of the most valued members of the faculty, she remained there until her retirement in 1989. Sergei Pavlovich Diaghilev (Сергей Павлович Дягилев) (March 19, 1872 – August 19, 1929), often known as Serge, was a Russian ballet impresario and founder of the Ballets Russes from which many famous... Léon Bakst: Firebird, Ballerina, 1910 The Ballets Russes was a ballet company established in 1909 by the Russian impresario Serge Diaghilev and resident first in Paris and then in Monte Carlo. ... Broadway may refer to: Broadway theatre, theatrical productions produced in one of thirty-nine professional New York theatres The Broadway Theatre, a theatre located on Broadway in Manhattan A street: Broadway (Manhattan) Broadway (Los Angeles) Broadway Street (Chicago) Broadway (Seattle) Broadway, New South Wales, Australia Broadway Market, London Broadway (Vancouver... Musical theater (or theatre) is a form of theater combining music, songs, dance, and spoken dialogue. ... Oh, Captain! was a Broadway musical comedy based on the film The Captains Paradise. ... Tony Randall (February 26, 1920 – May 17, 2004) was an American comic actor. ...

She had a long intimate relationship with George Balanchine although they never officially married. After their romance ended their professional partnership continued, as she taught many of his dancers at the School of American Ballet, and choreographed a version of Coppelia with Balanchine. She was married and divorced twice. George Balanchine (January 9 (O.S.) = January 22 (N.S.), 1904–April 30, 1983) was one of the 20th centurys foremost choreographers, and one of the founders of American ballet. ... Coppélia is a ballet by Leo Delibes based upon a story by E.T.A. Hoffmann entitled The Sandman. It concerns an inventor who makes a life-size dancing doll. ...

She published an autobiography called Choura, which was her nickname.

External links

• InfoPlease database entry
• StreetSwing.com entry
• The Ballerina Gallery - Alexandra Danilova