Ballet

Successful Ballet Dancers

They have the proper poise and exact bearing on stage. They sway to the music with grace which they perfectly know how. They seem to have been born with no bones because of their unbelievable flexibility. They are not less than the ballet dancers that bring life to every interpretation.

Here are some of the different ballet dancers, men and women alike, that contributed much to this type of dance:

1. Alicia Alonso

Cuban prima ballerina assoluta and choreographer who is considered to be a legend. At the age of nineteen, she was afflicted with an eye defect and was partially blind. Her partners always had to be in the exact place she expected them to be and used lights in different parts of the stage to guide her.

She was famous for her portrayals as Giselle and Carmen. While she was with the American Ballet Theatre, Alonso created leading roles in Antony Tudor’s Undertow (1943) and George Balanchine’s Theme and Variations (1947). She temporarily replaced Nora Kaye in the premier of Agnes de Mille’s Fall River Legend (1948).

2. Erik Bruhn

Danish ballet dancer, choreographer, actor and writer where he began training with the Royal Danish Ballet at the age of nine. He later joined the company at the age of eighteen and was promoted to soloist two years later.

Bruhn was best known for his roles in La Syphide, Giselle and Swan Lake where he combined subtle precision with a flair dance style. He appeared in the 1952 movie Hans Christian Andersen and authored the book Beyond Technique with Fred Fehl. He also directed the Swedish Opera Ballet from 1967 to 1973 and National Ballet of Canada from 1983 to 1986.

3. Olga Preobrajenska

Russian ballerina which was the most well- loved of the Russian Imperial Ballet. Even if the royal family supported her rival, Mathilde Kschessinska, she was the most favored among the Saint Petersburg audiences.

Preobrajenska dedicated her life to teaching new generations of ballet dancers after the Russian Revolution. Every major mid-20th-century Western dancer visited Preobrajenska for lessons. Tamara Toumanova and Margot Fonteyn were among the many ballerinas she coached.

4. Vladimir Malakhov

Ukrainian ballet dancer that was considered as one of the greatest in his time. He was a multi-award winner with first prizes from international competitions in Varna, Moscow and Paris then eventually hailed as "Dancer of the Century" by European critics.

Malakhov’s roles with Moscow Classical Ballet include Adam in Creation of the World, Basil and Gamache in Don Quixote, Romeo and Mercutio in Romeo and Juliet, Albrecht in Giselle, among many others. As a guest srtist he has danced Lensky in Eugene Onegin, Mazurka in Suite en Blanc, Oberon in A Midsummer’s Night Dream, Prince Desire in Sleeping Beauty and Snow King in The Nutcraker.

5. Marianela Nunez

Argentinian youngest principal dancer with the Royal Ballet London who is known for her “gold standard technique”. She was audtioned by Anthony Dowell during a Royal Ballet tour of the USA in 1998. Dowell being in full Carabosse costume as Marianela performed for him.

Nunez was chosen to be lead female in Soiree musicale at Dame Ninette de Valois 100th Birthday Gala. She joined the company in 1999 and was promoted to principal in 2002. She already has a large repertory and has created La Neige in Les Saisons and a role in Acheron's Dream.

The common denominator among these ballet dancers is that they all started at tender young age. However, it does not mean that when you are already of age, you cannot perform this dance. As they say, “it is never too late.”