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Birth
Margot Fonteyn was born in Reigate, England as Margaret Hookham. She began dancing at age 4 at a local dance school in Ealing. -
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Margot Fonteyn's Life
Sources:
"Dame Margot Fonteyn." Encyclopedia of World Biography. 2004. Encyclopedia.com. 2 Nov. 2014http://www.encyclopedia.com.
http://www.ballet.co.uk/old/legend_js_margot_fonteyn.htm
http://www.ccs.neu.edu/home/yiannis/dance/margot.html
http://www.roh.org.uk/people/margot-fonteyn
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/home/you/article-1214125/Margot-Fonteyn--woman-legend.htmlhttp://www.notesontheroad.com/Ying-s-Links/Today-s-Birthday-in-Dance-Margot-Fonteyn.html -
Moved to China
At 8 years old, Fonteyn's father accepted a job in Shanghai, China and she took ballet lessons from the Russian George Goncharov. -
Moved back to England
At the age of 14 she returned to England to develop a dancing career. Fonteyn took lessons with the Russian teacher Serafina Astafieva, and a little later she auditioned for the Vic-Wells ballet. In England, she got her stage name, Margot Fonteyn, which indirectly evolved from her mother's family nam, Fontes. -
Debut: The Nutcracker
In 1934, she had her debut in The Nutcracker as a snowflake. Fonteyn later devoted her entire career to the Royal Ballet. Her first solo role was the Young Treginnis in de Valois's The Haunted Ballroom. -
Dance Roles
In 1935, she had roles in standard classics, such as The Sleeping Beauty, Giselle, and Swan Lake. -
Major Role and Other Accomplishments
She had her first major role in Frederick Ashton's new ballet Le Baiser de la Fee in 1935. She also performed in Ashton ballets like Apparitions, Noctume, Les Patineurs, A Wedding Bouquet, Horoscope, The Wise Virgins, Dante Sonata, The Quest, The Wanderer, Daphnis, and Chloeë and Ondine. -
International Star
At age 30, she goes on tour to the US. In New York she performed as Princess Aurora in the Sleeping Beauty at the Metropolitan Opera House. Fonteyn went from being a national treasure to an international star from her success on opening night. -
Award
Fonteyn was decorated a Commander of the Order of the British Empire. -
Award
Fonteyn became president of the Royal Academy of Dancing. -
Wedding
She married Roberto de Arias, also known as "Tito", a diplomat from Panama, and she then had to balance her commtiments as both a ballerina and ambassador's wife. -
Award
Fonteyn became Dame of the Order of the British Empire, after which whe was known as Dame Margot Fonteyn de Arias. -
Rebirth of Career
She began dancing with Rudolf Nureyev, and some of their well-known dances include Giselle, Swan Lake, and Romeo and Juliet. This was a revelation for their famous partnership in the history of ballet. He was 20 years younger than her, and they both had diverse backgrounds. This allowed them to flourish, and Fonteyn's technique improved to the point where her career was extended by at least 15 years. -
Last Performance
Fonteyn had her farewell performance, at age 60, in London's Royal Opera House. Overall, she had a extraordinary long, and successful career. She retires to Panama with Tito to run a 500-acre cattle farm. -
Top Award: Prima Ballerina Assoluta
Fonteyn received from the Royal Ballet in England the title "prima ballerina assoluta". Keep in mind that only three ballerinas were given this title in the 20th century. -
Death
Fonteyn died at the age of 72 from cancer, and it was two years after her husband died. She is buried in the Arias family plot next to Tito.
