Her most famous relationship: intense and passionate in the performing sense, and possibly sexual as well: was with Rudolf Nureyev, who defected from the Soviet Union in 1961 and became Fonteyn's dance partner when she was in her early 40s and he was a good 20 years younger. Her debut in New York in 1949, in Sleeping Beauty, took the city by storm. Fonteyn was Ashton's muse: he created roles for her in ballets such as Sylvia, Rio Grande, and Ondine. Much of what is described as the "English style" of ballet, which blossomed after World War II, happened at the Royal Ballet, where Frederick Ashton was artistic director. Her ambitious mother, known in the dance world as the Black Queen, enrolled her at age 14 in Ninette de Valois' Sadler's Wells Ballet School by the time she was 16, Fonteyn was dancing starring roles in the company that would later become the Royal Ballet. Margot Fonteyn - born plain Peggy Hookham - was dreamed into existence by the architects of British ballet: Ninette de Valois, Frederick Ashton and Constant.
Drawing upon extensive research, countless interviews, and exclusive access to never-before-seen letters and diariesincluding those of Fonteyn’s extraordinary and devoted motherDaneman presents firsthand. Margot Fonteyn: A Life is the first complete biography of the dancer Fonteyn herself wrote an autobiography, described by one reviewer as "guarded," in 1976.ĭaneman uncovers the life behind Fonteyn's legendary stage presence: known for "soft, unshowy lyricism and limpid purity of line have entered the poetic imagery of our age": as well as the more legendary aspects of her biography, including her affairs and her marriage to Robert (Tito) Arias, a Panamanian politician.įonteyn was born Margaret Evelyn Hookham, and known as "Peggy" the name she gave herself is a version of "Fontes," her Irish-Brazilian mother's family name. Meredith Daneman, with her own extensive background in ballet, tells Fonteyn’s story in vivid prose with insight and sensitivity.
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