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Margot Fonteyn's Birth
Margaret Evelyn Hookham was born in Reigate, Surrey, England on May 18, 1919. Her father was an English engineer and her mother was half Irish and half Brazilian. Early on in her career she changed her name to a stage name of "Margot Fonteyn", with her last name modeled after her Brazilian grandfather, Fontes. -
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Margot Fonteyn's Childhood Years in Ballet
At the age of four in 1923, Margot Fonteyn's mother signed her up for ballet classes with her brother, Felix. When she was eight, her family relocated to China, because her father had taken a job as a cheif engineer in a tobacco company there. Margot lived there for six years in Tientsin and then later Shanghai. In Shanghai, Margot studied ballet under the Russian teacher George Goncharov. At the age of fourteen in 1933, Margot's mother took her back to London to pursue a career in ballet. -
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Margot Fonteyn's Teenage Years of Ballet
At the age of fourteen, Margot Fonteyn returned from China with her mother and started taking ballet lessons with Serafina Astafieva in order to pursue a future in ballet. Margot joined the Vic-Wells Ballet School, which was the predecessor of the Royal Ballet Company. She had the opportunity of studying under some of the greatest ballet teachers of her time period, Olga Preobrajenskaya and Mathilde Kschessinskaya. In 1939, at only twenty years old Margot became the ballet company's star. -
Margot Fonteyn Joined The Vic-Wells Ballet School
In 1934, Margot Fonteyn joined the Vic-Wells Ballet School at the age of fourteen. The Vic-Wells Ballet School was the predecessor of the Royal Ballet Company, where Margot Fonteyn devoted most of her ballet career and time to. As a student, Margot Fonteyn made her debut the first year by performing in the role of Young Tregennis in De Valois’ "The Haunted Ballroom". In 1935, she was a snowflake in "The Nutcracker." -
Margot Fonteyn Performed Her First Role For Choreographer Sir Frederick Ashton
In 1935, Margot Fonteyn performed her first role for choreographer Sir Frederick Ashton, in the ballet "Le Baiser de la Fee." Sir Frederick Ashton saw Margot Fonteyn as an exceptional ballerina and generated many opportunities for her by giving her leading roles in other ballets such as "Apparitions", "Nocturne", "Les Patineurs", "A Wedding Bouquet", "Horoscope", "The Wise Virgins", "Dante Sonata", "The Quest", "The Wanderer", "Daphnis and Chloë", and "Ondine". -
Margot Fonteyn Danced For The First Time With Michael Somes
In 1938, Margot Fonteyn danced for the first time with Michael Somes in Constant Lambort's "Horoscope." Michael Somes ended up being one of Margot Fonteyn's successful dance partnerships, particularly through performances in the 1950's. -
Margot Fonteyn Was Appointed Prima Ballerina By Queen Elizabeth II
By 1939, Margot Fonteyn had reached the age of twenty and had starred in many different roles in performances such as "Swan Lake", "Giselle" and "The Sleeping Beauty." She was most noted for her elegant performances as Princess Aurora in "The Sleeping Beauty." In 1939, Queen Elizabeth II also appointed Margot Fonteyn as "Prima Ballerina", or "Principal Dancer", which is a honorable title given to the chief ballerina of a ballet company. -
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Margot Fonteyn's Ballet Career Expands Through Her Adult Life
Margot Fonteyn's ballet career continued to flourish and expand as she gained more opportunities and grew as a ballerina in her talent and skills. In the 1940's she formed a partnership with dancer Robert Helpmann and toured with him for several years. In the 1950's, she danced with another partner, Michel Somes. When the 1960's-1970's hit, many thought she would retire, including the head of the Royal Ballet, but she instead formed the greatest partnership of her career with Rudolf Nureyev. -
Margot Fonteyn Became The President Of The Royal Academy Of Dancing
In 1954, Margot Fonteyn became the President of the Royal Academy of Dancing. She organized gala matinees anually and convinced many famous dances to appear in them. -
Margot Fonteyn Married Dr. Roberto Arias
On February 6, 1955, Margot Fonteyn married Dr. Roberto Arias, a Panamanian diplomat. In 1959, Margot Fonteyn was briefly jailed because Dr. Roberto Arias tried to overthrow the Panamian government. In 1965, rival Panamanian politician shot Dr. Roberto Arias and he became a quadriplegic. One of the reasons Margot Fonteyn danced until she was sixty was so that she could help pay for his medical bills. -
Margot Fonteyn and Michael Somes Danced Together in "The Sleeping Beauty"
In 1955, Margot Fonteyn and Michael Somes danced together in the "The Sleeping Beauty" which was produced on NBC as the first ever color television broadcast of a ballet. -
Margot Fonteyn Was Named Dame Of The British Empire
In 1956, Margot Fonteyn was named the honorable title of Dame of the British Empire by Queen Elizabeth II. -
Margot Fonteyn Danced with Michael Somes In "The Nutcracker"
In 1958, Margot Fonteyn and Michael Somes performed together in the first ever British televised version of Tchaikovsky's "The Nutcracker". -
Margot Fonteyn Performed in "Giselle" With Robert Nureyev
When Margot Fonteyn reached her fourties, she considered retiring from her ballet career, which many ballerinas usually did at this age. Instead, she met Robert Nureyev and completely revived her ballet career and the two became a dynamic duo. In 1962, they completed their first performance together in "Giselle". The two became known for their repeated curtain calls and bouquet tosses, and also developed an on and off stage relationship. -
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Margot Fonteyn's Partnership with Rudolf Nureyev
After Margot Fonteyn performed with Rudolf Nureyev in 1962 with their first performance of "Giselle", where they received 23 curtain calls. The couple went on to perform in many other shows and roles together up until Margot Fonteyn's retirement in 1979. Their most famous performances included "Le Corsaire Pas de Deux" "Swan Lake" "Sleeping Beauty" "Marguerite and Armand" and "Romeo and Juliet." -
Margot Fonteyn Performed With Rudolf Nureyev in "Marguerite and Armand"
On March 12, 1963, Margot Fonteyn and Rudolf Nureyev danced together in a custom cheregraphed show "Marguerite and Armand" by Sir Frederick Ashton. This particular show was not danced together by any other pair after them until the twenty-first century. -
Margot Fonteyn Danced With Rudolf Nureyev in "Romeo and Juliet"
On February 9, 1965, Margot Fonteyn and Rudolf Nureyev performed together in Kenneth MacMillan's version of "Romeo and Juliet." They also danced together in filmed versions of "Romeo and Juliet", "Swan Lake", "Les Sylphides", and "Le Corsaire Pas de Deux". -
Margot Fonteyn Released "The Magic of Dance"
Margot Fonteyn released her own six part BBC2 series named "The Magic of Dance", which was about exploring the history of dance through five centuries. -
Margot Fonteyn Performed In Her Last Show
At the age of 60, Margot Fonteyn performed in her last show in London's Royal Opera House. She then retired to the country of Panama to a 500-acre cattle farm with her husband. -
Margot Fonteyn Was Named "Prima Ballerina Assoluta"
On December 18, 1979, Queen Elizabeth II named Margot Fonteyn "Prima Ballerina Assoluta." This extremely honorable title is very rare only given to exceptional dancers of a generation. Only three dancers were given it in the 20th century. -
Margot Fonteyn's Death
Margot Fonteyn passed away in a hospital in Panama City, Panama on February, 21, 1991 at age 72 after being diagnosed with cancer in 1989. Overall, Margot Fonteyn had an extremely long and successful career. She was one of the most renowned ballerinas of her generation and had starred in many leading roles. She took advantage of many different opportunities and surpassed many peoples' expectations for her.
