Danilova, Alexandra (Dionisyevna)

(born Nov. 20, 1903, Peterhof, Russia—died July 13, 1997, New York, N.Y., U.S.) Russian-born U.S. ballet dancer and teacher. She attended the Imperial Ballet School in St. Petersburg and became a soloist at the Mariinsky Theatre. In 1924 she joined the Ballets Russes. From 1938 to 1952 she danced with the Ballet Russe de Monte Carlo, touring worldwide as its prima ballerina. She created leading roles in , , , and . After retiring in 1957 she became a full-time faculty member at the School of American Ballet (1964–89). She was instrumental in bringing classical and modern Russian repertoires to the U.S.

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