List of famous female ballet dancers, listed by their level of prominence with photos when available. This greatest female ballet dancers list contains the most prominent and top females known for being ballet dancers. There are thousand of females working as ballet dancers in the world, but this list highlights only the most notable ones. Historic ballet dancers have worked hard to become the best that they can be, so if you're a female aspiring to be a ballet dancer then the people below should give you inspiration.
Everything from Vera Kostiฤ to Noelani Pantastico is included on this list.
While this isn't a list of all female ballet dancers, it does answer the questions "Who are the most famous female ballet dancers?" and "Who are the best female ballet dancers?"
Marguerite Porter MBE (born 1948) is an English former principal ballet dancer, turned actress and choreographer.
Born in Doncaster, Porter trained in Yorkshire and at the Royal Ballet School in London, where she was taught by Dame Ninette De Valois.After two years training she joined The Royal Ballet, where she is now a Governor, becoming Senior Principal Ballerina in 1978. In a 20-year association, she danced all the major roles, including Princess Aurora in The Sleeping Beauty, Odette/Odile in Swan Lake alongside Rudolf Nureyev, Juliet in Romeo and Juliet, Ophelia in Hamlet, and the title role in productions of Manon, Giselle, Daphnis and Chloe among others. After leaving the Royal Ballet, she became a guest artiste for a further three years, during which time she published be autobiography Ballerina, A Dancerโs Life. She has made numerous appearances with English National Ballet.
Porter made her Broadway debut as the Queen in Matthew Bourneโs production of Swan Lake. She also made a video based on ballet called Balletcise. Her television and films roles have included The Magic of the Dance with Margot Fonteyn, and the British Institute film Comrade Lady, directed by Nobby Clark and choreographed by David Bintley. She has since become an accomplished choreographer, including productions of The Garden of Eros for London City Ballet and Dancing at Lughnasa.Porter teaches at the Royal Ballet School, where in 2008 she taught Marianela Nรบรฑez the steps of The Dying Swan as Michel Fokine choreographed for Anna Pavlova in 1907. She has also taught at the Ballet Rambert, and as a guest teacher at the Hong Kong Ballet.
Porter is a Director of the Yorkshire Ballet Seminars (taking over from the retiring David Gayle), and a governor of the Royal Ballet Company, Birmingham Royal Ballet and the Royal Ballet School.
She was appointed Member of the Order of the British Empire (MBE) in the 2015 New Year Honours for services to ballet.
Veronica Tennant, (born January 15, 1946) is a Canadian producer, director, and filmmaker and was Principal Dancer, National Ballet of Canada.
She was born in London, England, and moved to Canada with her parents and sister in 1955. Dancing from the age of four, by the age of 18, she became the youngest person ever to enter the National Ballet of Canada, and made her debut in the principal role in
Romeo and Juliet.
By 1976, she was a star at the National Ballet and touring across North America, Europe and Japan with Mikhail Baryshnikov and Rudolf Nureyev,
among others, as prima ballerina. In 2015 she conceived and directed NIรGARA: A Pan-American Story, a multidisciplinary project for the 2015 Pan American Games.
Amanda Schull (born August 26, 1978) is an American actress and former professional ballet dancer. She is known for her lead role in the 2000 film Center Stage, and for her recurring roles on the American television series One Tree Hill and Pretty Little Liars. She has since starred in the Syfy television series 12 Monkeys, and played a recurring role on the USA television series Suits before being promoted to series regular for the show's eighth season.
Dame Alicia Markova DBE (1 December 1910โ2 December 2004) was a British ballerina and a choreographer, director and teacher of classical ballet. Most noted for her career with Sergei Diaghilev's Ballets Russes and touring internationally, she was widely considered to be one of the greatest classical ballet dancers of the twentieth century. She was the first British dancer to become the principal dancer of a ballet company and, with Dame Margot Fonteyn, is one of only two English dancers to be recognised as a prima ballerina assoluta. Markova was a founder dancer of the Rambert Dance Company, The Royal Ballet and American Ballet Theatre, and was co-founder and director of the English National Ballet.
Ann Reinking (November 10, 1949 โ December 12, 2020) was an American actress, dancer, and choreographer. Her extensive work in musical theater included starring in Broadway productions of Coco (1969), Over Here! (1974), Goodtime Charley (1975), Chicago (1977), Dancin' (1978) and Sweet Charity (1986). In the 1996 revival of Chicago, she reprised the role of Roxie Hart and was also the choreographer, winning the Tony Award for Best Choreography. For the 2000 West End production of Fosse, she won the Olivier Award for Best Theatre Choreographer. She has also appeared in the films All That Jazz (1979), Annie (1982), and Micki & Maude (1984).
