1997 Death Alexandra Danilova, ballet great 1996 Death Ludmilla Chiraeff, ballet dancer, dies at 72 1996 Death Ian Spurling, ballet designer, dies at 59 1996 Death Nicholas Beriozoff, ballet master, dies at 89 1996 Death Lincoln Kirstein, ballet administrator, dies at 88 1995 Death Youly Algaroff, ballet dancer, dies at 77 1995 Death Henning Kronstam, ballet dancer, performed over 120 roles with Royal Danish Ballet for over 20 years, dies at 60 of a pulmonary embolism 1995 Death Carel Birnie, ballet producer, dies at 69 1994 Death Michael [George] Somes, English dancer (Royal Ballet), dies at 77 1993 Death Michel Renault, French ballet dancer (Giselle), dies 1993 Death Rudolph Nureyev, Russian ballet dancer (Kirov), dies of AIDS at 54 1992 Event Ballet dancer Peter Martins charged with beating his wife 1992 Event New York City Ballet star Peter Martins, arrested for beating his wife 1992 Death Kelvin Coe, Australian ballerina (A'sch Ballet/Bolshoi Ballet), dies 1991 Death Margot Fonteyn, ballerina (1st lady of British Ballet), dies at 71 1988 Event Herschel Walker performs Fort Worth Ballet 1987 Death Antony Tudor, dancer and choreographer (Amer Ballet Theater) dies at 78 1987 Death Nora Kaye, U.S. ballet dancer, dies at 67 1981 Event Amanda Maccaro becomes 1st American to win Russian Ballet Competition 1979 Event Bolshoi Ballet dancers Leonid and Valentina Kozlov defect 1979 Event Bolshoi Ballet dancer Alexander Godunov defects in New York City 1973 Event Hans of Manens ballet "Adagio Hammerklavier" premieres in Amsterdam 1965 Birthday Sylvie Guillem, France, ballerina, Royal Ballet 1964 Death Vassily Vainonen, Russian ballet choreographer (Gayaneh), dies at 66 1963 Birthday Alessandra Ferri, British ballerina, American Ballet Theater 1961 Birthday Martin Kemp, London, rock bassist, Spandau Ballet 1961 Event Amsterdam National Ballet forms 1961 Event Russian ballet dancer Rudolph Nureyev defects to west in Frankfurt 1961 Event Soviet ballet dancer Rudolf Nureyev defects to West in Paris 1959 Death George Antheil, U.S. pianist/composer (Ballet Mecanique), dies at 58 1957 Birthday David Bintley, born in Huddersfield, England, choreographer, artistic director, The Royal Ballet, Birmingham Royal Ballet 1957 Event Benjamin Britten's ballet "Prince and the Pauper," premieres in London 1956 Birthday Evelyn Hart, prima ballerina, Royal Winnipeg Ballet 1955 Birthday Fernando Bujones, born in Miami, Florida, ballet dancer 1954 Birthday Ib Anderson, Copenhagen, ballet dancer 1954 Event Scapino Ballet Studio in Amsterdam destroyed by fire 1952 Death W de Basil, US Voskresenski, Russia, ballet dancer, dies 1951 Death Agrippina J Vaganova, Russian ballet dancers/pegagoge, dies at 72 1950 Birthday Merrill Ashley, St. Paul, Minnesota, ballerina, New York City Ballet 1950 Birthday Peter Schaufuss, director of ballet, Deutsche Opera Berlin 1950 Death Vaslav Fromich Nijinsky, Ukrainian ballet dancer, dies in London 1949 Event Maurice Ravel/John Cranko's ballet "Beauty and the Beast," premieres 1948 Event "Ballet Ballads" closes at Music Box Theater New York City after 62 performances 1948 Event "Ballet Ballads" opens at Music Box Theater New York City for 62 performances 1948 Birthday Mikhail Baryshnikov, born in Riga, Latvia, ballet dancer, That's Dancing 1947 Birthday Lesley Collier, British ballet dancer 1946 Birthday Cynthia Gregory, born in Louisiana, ballerina, New York Ballet Co 1946 Birthday David Wall, English ballet dancers/director, Royal Academy of Dancing 1945 Birthday Martine van Hamel, Brussels Belgium, ballerina, New York City Ballet Co 1945 Event William Schuman and Antony Tudors ballet premieres in New York City 1944 Event Leonard Bernstein and Jerome Robbins' ballet premieres in New York City 1943 Birthday Anthony Dowell, London, ballet dancer, Royal Ballet 1942 Event Aaron Copland/de Milles ballet "Rodeo," premieres in New York City 1942 Birthday Patricia McBride, Teaneck, New Jersey, ballerina, New York City Ballet Co 1942 Death Mikhailmichel Fokine, Russian ballet dancer/choreographer, dies 1942 Event A Schoenberg and Tudor's ballet "Pillar of Fire," premieres in New York City 1941 Birthday Karin von Aroldingen, born in Germany, ballet dancer, New York City Ballet Co 1940 Event Sergei Prokofiev's ballet Romeo and Juliet premieres in Leningrad 1939 Event Tropicana ballet of Havana Cuba, forms 1938 Event A Copland and E Lorings ballet "Billy the Kid," premieres in Chicago 1938 Event Paul Hindemith and Leonide Massines ballet premieres in London 1938 Birthday Rudolf Nureyev, Russia, ballet dancer and choreographer, Kirov 1936 Birthday Edward Villella, Bayside Queens, ballet dancer, New York City Ballet 1936 Birthday Ian Spurling, ballet designer 1936 Event Pravda criticizes Shostakovich' ballet "Clear Brook" 1934 Birthday Jacques d'Amboise, born in Dedham, Massachusetts, ballet dancer, New York City Ballet Company 1934 Birthday Henning Kronstam, born in Copenhagen, Denmark, ballet dancer, performed over 120 roles with Royal Danish Ballet for over 20 years 1933 Event Berlin/Hart/Heyman/Myers ballet "As Thousands Cheer," premieres in New York City 1933 Birthday Arif Melikov, born in Baku, Azerbaijan, name also Arif Malikov, Soviet composer, nationally acclaimed for composition Legend of Love whose ballet is among the finest works to emerge from the Soviet Union 1933 Birthday Rudi van Dantzig, Dutch choreographer/ballet dancer, Painted Birds 1933 Birthday Darijan Bozic, born in Slavonski Brod, Croatia, composer, conductor, manager, artistic director of The Slovene National Theater Opera and Ballet Ljubljana 1932 Event Emmanuel Chabriers and Balanchines ballet premieres in Monte Carlo 1931 Event Sibelius/Ashton's ballet "Lady of Shalott," premieres in London 1931 Birthday Ronald Hynd, British choreographer, English National Ballet 1931 Event Dmitri Sjostakovitch' ballet "The Arrow," premieres 1930 Event Dmitri Sjostakovitch' ballet "Zolotoy Vyek," premieres in Leningrad 1930 Birthday Eino Tamberg, born in Estonia, composer, neoclassical Estonian music, teacher, Estonian Academy of Music, wrote ballet, 'Johanna tentate' 1930 Birthday John Gilpin, English ballet dancer, Etudes, Alice in Wonderland 1929 Birthday Harvey Phillips, Aurora Missouri, tubist, New York City Ballet Orchestra 1929 Birthday Kenneth DeWitt Schermerhorn, Schenectady, New York, conductor, Amer Ballet 1929 Death Sergei P Diaghilev, Russia, dance master (Imperial Ballet), dies at 57 1929 Event Sergei Prokoviev's ballet "Prodigal Son," premieres in Paris 1928 Birthday Erik Bruhn, Copenhagen Denmark, dancer, NNationalatl Ballet of Canada 1927 Birthday Marjorie Tallchief, U.S. ballerina, Harkness Ballet 1927 Birthday Maurice Bejart, France, ballet choreographer, Rite of Spring 1926 Event Bela Bartoks ballet "Miraculous Mandarin," premieres in Keulen 1925 Birthday Maya Plisetskaya, prima ballerina, Bolshoi Ballet 1924 Birthday Serge Golovine, French ballet choreographer, Death of Narcissus 1924 Birthday Ludmilla Tcherina, French actress/ballet dancer, Sins of Rome 1924 Birthday Ludmilla Chiraeff, ballet dancer 1924 Event Poulenc/Nijinska's ballet "Les Biches," premieres in Monte Carlo 1922 Birthday Marina Svetlova, ballerina/choreographer, Ballet Russe de Monte Carlo 1922 Birthday Margaret Scott, founder, Australian Ballet School 1922 Event Arthur Honegger's ballet "Skating Rink" premieres, Paris 1920 Event Maurice Ravels ballet "La Valse," premieres in Paris 1920 Birthday Aart Verstegen, ballet dancers/choreographer, Jolly Joker's Last Joke 1920 Event Darius Milhaud and Jean Cocteau's ballet, premieres in Paris 1918 Birthday Youly Algaroff, ballet dancer 1917 Birthday Alicia Alonso, Havana Cuba, ballerina, American Ballet Theatre 1917 Birthday Michael [George] Somes, England, dancer, Royal Ballet 1917 Event Satie/Massine/Picasso's ballet "Parade," premieres in Paris 1917 Event Domenico Scarlatti and Jeab Cocteaus ballet premieres in Rome 1917 Event De Falla's ballet "El Sombrero de tres Picos," premieres in Madrid 1915 Event Manuel de Falla's ballet "El Amor Brujo," premieres in Madrid 1914 Birthday Dame Alicia Markova, ballerina, Diaghilev Ballet Russe 1925-32 1910 Death Marius Petipa, French ballet dancer and choreographer (Casse-noisette), dies 1907 Event Saint-Saens/Fokines ballet "Le Cygne," premieres in St. Petersburg 1907 Birthday William Dollar, St. Louis, ballet dancer/choreographer 1907 Birthday Lucia Chase, U.S. ballerina/co-founder, American Ballet Theater 1906 Birthday Nicholas Beriozoff, ballet master 1905 Birthday Serge Lifar, born in Kiev, dancer, choreographer, Paris Opera Ballet 1905 Birthday Ruth Page, U.S. choreographer/ballet leader, Diaghilev, Pygmalion 1904 Birthday Alexandra Danilova, ballet great 1904 Birthday John Antill, born in Sydney, Australia, composer, studied under Alfred Hill, played in NSW State Orchestra, Sydney Symphony, famous for ballet suite Corroboree 1904 Birthday George Balanchine, dancer/choreographer/ballet producer 1904 Birthday Boris Kochno, Russian ballet dancer, La Chatte 1901 Birthday Conrad Beck, born in Lohn, Switzerland, composer, studied with Jacques Ibert, head of Radio Basel music department for 30 years, composed concertos, symphonies, oratorio, elegy, instrumental, vocal music, and one ballet 1901 Birthday Kurt Jooss, Wurtemburg, Germany, ballet choreographer 1900 Birthday Leon Barzin, Brussels Belgium, conductor, New York City Ballet 1948-58 1899 Birthday Leon Woizikowski, Polish dancer/ballet master, Ballets Russes 1898 Death Lucien Petipa, French dancer/choreograph/ballet leader, dies 1898 Birthday Ninette de Valois, Edris Stannus, Engl, ballerina, Royal Ballet 1898 Birthday Vassily Vainonen, Russian ballet dancers/choreographer, Gayaneh 1896 Birthday Leonide Massine, choreographer, Diaghilev Ballet Russe 1914-20 1895 Event Tchaikovsky's ballet "Swan Lake" premieres, St. Petersburg 1894 Event Debussy's ballet "L'apres-midi d'un faune," premieres in Paris 1893 Event Richard Drigo's ballet "Magic Flute" premieres, St. Petersburg 1892 Event "Nutcracker Suite," Peter Ilyich Tchaikovsky's ballet, premieres 1892 Event Tsjaikovski's ballet "Casse-noisette," premieres in St. Petersburg 1891 Death Leo Delibes, French ballet composer (Lakme), dies at 54 1891 Birthday Bronislava Nijinska, ballet choreographer 1890 Birthday Vaslav Nijinsky, Ukrainian and U.S. ballet dancer, Petroesjka 1890 Birthday Vaslav Nijinsky, born in Kiev, Ukraine, ballet dancer, 3/12 NS 1889 Birthday Vaslav F Nijinski, Ukraine/US ballet dancer, l'apres-midi d'une faune 1888 Birthday Marie Rambert, Warsaw, English ballet producer/director/teacher 1879 Birthday Agrippina J Vaganova, Russian ballet dancer 1877 Event Tsjaikovski's incomplete ballet "Zwanenmeer," premieres in Moscow 1876 Event Tsjaikovsky completes his "Swan Lake" ballet 1872 Birthday Sergei Pavlovich Diaghilev, born in Russia, dance master, Imperial Ballet 1872 Birthday Sergei Diaghilev, Gruzino Novgorod Russia, ballet director 1848 Event Ballet "Faust" premieres, Milan 1842 Death MJ Auguste Vestrius, French ballet dancers, dies at 82 1836 Birthday Leo Delibes, Saint-Germain-du-Val France, ballet composer, Coppelia 1835 Birthday Luigi Manzotti, Milano, ballet choreographer 1827 Event Ballet (Deserter) introduced to U.S. at Bowery Theater (New York City) 1819 Birthday Marius Petipa, French ballet dancer and choreographer, Don Quiotte 1815 Birthday Lucien Petipa, French dancer/choreographer/ballet leader 1810 Death Jean-Georges Noverre, French choreographer (ballet d'action), dies 1808 Birthday Paul "the Great" Taglioni, Vienna, ballet choreographer 1787 Death Maximilian JLP Gardel, French ballet dancer/choreographer, dies at 45 1779 Birthday Jean Coralli, Paris, ballet producer/choreographer 1760 Birthday MJ Auguste Vestrius, French ballet dancers 1758 Birthday Pierre-Gabriel Gardel, French ballet dancer/choreographer 1729 Birthday Gaetano B Vestris, Italian/French ballet dancer. 1727 Birthday Jean-Georges Noverre, French dancer and choreographer, ballet d'action 1668 Event Dutch Prince William III dances in premiere of "Ballet of Peace" 1581 Event Commissioned by Catherine De Medici, the 1st ballet "Ballet Comique de la Reine," is staged in Paris
