Mlle FIFI (Alexandra Danilova 1955)

Here is the legendary Ballets Russe de Monte Carlo (both the original Diaghilev company and it's namesakes) ballerina, ALEXANDRA DANILOVA (at 52 yrs-old). Trained at the Imperial Ballet School in St. Petersburg (before the 1917 Revolution and the name was changed to the Vaganova Academy) and one of the 4 original dancers to leave Russia with Balanchine in 1924, she was Balanchine's 1st "Muse," and eventual lover after he divorced his first wife, Tamara Geva. She originated the lead roles in many Massine ballets too, and Balanchine created for her "Terpsichore" (although she did not dance the premiere) in APOLLO, and the lead in DANSES CONSERTANTES, and NIGHT SHADOW (now called "La Sonnambula"). She later became a most beloved teacher at his School of American Ballet, and taught generations of ballerinas including Allegra Kent, Suzanne Farrell, and Merrill Ashley, to name but few. She also staged her role of "Swanilda" COPPELIA for both Balanchine's NYC BALLET, and my original LOS ANGELES BALLET. She was the most famous ballerina of her generation and beloved by all.