Ballet is an age-old art with famous ballet dancers. There are a few dancers who have become legendary in this art field. Here are the top 10 famous ballet dancers in the world.

1. Alicia Markova

Alicia Markova is the top ballet dancer of all time and comes in at number one. A British ballerina whose real name was Lilian Alicia Marks. Her ethereal lightness and delicate poetic style are her most well-known traits. She was a London, England native who passed away on December 2, 2004. She was born on December 1, 1910.

In the history of ballet, Alicia Markova was the first woman to receive the title of "prima ballerina assoluta." She made her professional ballet dancing debut at 14 with Sergei Diaghilev's Ballets Russes and was one of the most incredible dancers of the 20th century. Alicia Markova played prominent roles in productions such as Giselle, Swan Lake, and The Nutcracker. Additionally, Alicia Markova was a founding member of the American Ballet Theatre, the Rambert Dance Company, and the Royal Ballet.

Born: December 1, 1910

Died: December 2, 2004

Aged: 94

Nationality: British

2. Anna Pavlova

One of the top classical ballet dancers of her generation is thought to be Anna Pavlova. She is a Russian ballet dancer who is still well-known today and is famous for creating The Dying Swan. When she was ten, Anna Pavlova enrolled in the Imperial Ballet School. She was teased at school because of her long limbs, acutely arched feet, and slender ankles, which contrasted with the petite and compact body type that dancers at the time favored. At 18, she obtained her diploma and made her onstage debut at the Mariinsky Theatre.

Anna Pavlova was a pioneer in another way—she was the first dancer to travel the globe. Because of her delicate ankles, Pavlova added a piece of stiff leather to the sole of her pointe shoes to give them more support. It is referred to as the shank, the predecessor of current pointe shoes.

Born: February 12, 1881

Died: January 23, 1931

Aged: 49

Nationality: Russian

3. Margot Fonteyn

A legendary figure in the field, British ballet dancer Dame Margot Fonteyn was admired for her command of the stage, technical prowess, and deft characterization. She holds the title "prima ballerina assoluta" bestowed upon her by Queen Elizabeth II. Furthermore, Margot Fonteyn trained at the Royal Ballet School and danced for the company her entire career, performing until her late 40s. Fonteyn's first significant role in Frederick Ashton's latest piece, "Le Baiser de la Fee," was written specifically for her. 

In 1965, Margot Fonteyn teamed up with dancer Rudolf Nureyev, who was then 19 years old, to resurrect her dance career. With each bringing out the best in the other, their dancing duo went viral worldwide. She achieved her greatest artistic triumph when she played Juliet opposite Nureyev's Romeo and received 43 curtain calls in less than 40 minutes.

Born: May 18, 1919

Died: February 21, 1991

Aged: 71

Nationality: British

4. Yuanyuan Tan

The next dancer on the list of the most incredible ballet dancers ever is Yuanyuan Tan. Chinese ballet dancer Yuanyuan Tan, born in 1976, is of Chinese descent. A well-known dancer, Yuanyuan Tan, was graceful and lean. She studied dance at Shanghai Dance School and received her first dance training. She has received numerous awards worldwide, including a gold medal at the first Japan International Dance Competition, the Nijinsky Award, and a gold medal at the Fifth International Ballet in Paris. She was then selected to continue her education in Stuttgart, Germany.

At 18, Yuanyuan Tan began her soloist career with the San Francisco Ballet. At the age of 20, she was promoted to the youngest lead dancer in the organization. She will commemorate 25 years as the lead dancer for the company in the summer of 2021. Her lengthy career is a result of her physical grace and strength.

Born: February 14, 1976 (age 45)

Nationality: Chinese

5. Sylvie Guillem

One of France's most adored ballerinas, Sylvie Guillem, is best known for her roles in Giselle, Swan Lake, and Don Quixote. Since she was a young child, she had taken gymnastics classes, and it was clear that she had a natural talent and skill for flexibility and muscular movements.

The director became interested in Sylvie Guillem while she was a Paris Opera Ballet School student from 1977 to 1980. She began performing with the Paris Opera Ballet Company in 1981, and since then, her career has rapidly advanced. She worked with the company for two years before landing her first solo role as the Queen of Driads in Don Quixote at 17. Guillem became a star under the current director, Rudolf Nureyev. Sylvie Guillem joined the Royal Dance as a principal guest artist to expand her repertoire beyond ballet.

Born: February 23, 1965 (age 56)

Nationality: French

6. Misty Copeland

Ballet dancer Misty Copeland was born in the United States in 1982. She began dancing at 13, defying all odds to become the first African-American principal dancer in the American Ballet Theatre's 75-year history.

Misty Copeland had the makings of a star when she was younger. Before joining ABT as an official member in 2000 and becoming a soloist in 2007, she participated in two summer workshops with the organization. In addition to being a world-class dancer, she is a well-known public speaker, celebrity spokeswoman, and author. In 2014, she established her dancewear brand, M by Misty, and inked a sponsorship agreement with Under Armour. The year after, she was listed among Time's "100 Most Influential People in the World." She is one of the most well-known female ballet dancers and role models.

Born: September 10, 1982 (age 39)

Nationality: American

7. Carlos Acosta

Carlos Acosta was the eleventh child born into a poor Cuban family. As a result of his son's high level of activity, his father enrolled him in a state-funded dance academy to keep him out of trouble. He started as a principal dancer with the Houston Ballet, the English National Ballet, and the National Ballet of Cuba. In 1998, he became a member of the Royal Ballet, and in January 2020, he was appointed director of the Birmingham Royal Ballet.

Carlos Acosta amassed several award-winning ballet pieces, such as "Tocororo" and "Carlos Acosta and Friends of the Royal Ballet." He also created the choreography for the recent West End production of Guys and Dolls, Don Quixote, and Carmen for the Royal Ballet. Additionally, Pig's Foot, a work of fiction, and No Way Home, a frank and passionate autobiography, are both written by Carlos Acosta.

Born: June 2, 1973 (age 48)

Nationality: Cuban-British

8. George Balanchine

One of the men credited with founding American ballet is George Balanchine. He was a founding member of the New York City Ballet, the first American ballet school and company to take on European rivals. He worked with renowned composer Igor Stravinsky while a student at the Petrograd Conservatory, where he studied music and composition. 

Until 1929, when he suffered a severe knee injury, George Balanchine was a ballet master for Diaghilev's Ballets Russes in Moscow. In 1934, he and Lincoln Kirstein founded the School of American Ballet and the New York City Ballet, where he instructed dancers on developing sound technique while fusing his style. The first classical dance piece that Balanchine created in America was Serenade. Until his passing, he was the New York City Ballet's artistic director and choreographed over 400 dance pieces. Neo-classical ballet became more widely known as a result of his choreography, and it is still relevant in the modern era.

Born: January 22, 1904

Died: April 30, 1983

Aged: 79

Nationality: Russian

9. Rudolf Nureyev

Dancer, choreographer, and director Rudolf Nureyev was well-known worldwide for his ballet performances. He is a Russian ballet dancer who was born in 1938. Nureyev started his professional dance career at Leningrad's Kirov Ballet, now the Mariinsky Ballet.

Before leading the Paris Opera Ballet from 1983 to 1989, Rudolf Nureyev was a principal dancer with the Royal Ballet in London. One of the ballet dancers he continued to instruct and counsel was Sylvie Guillem, a young dancer. He became well-known for his interpretations of Swan Lake, Giselle, and La Bayadere. His famous partnership with Margot Fonteyn, who was 19 years older than him, is an example of his sophisticated creativity at a young age.

Born: March 17, 1938

Died: January 6, 1993

Aged: 54

Nationality: Russian

10. Mikhail Baryshnikov

One of the most excellent ballet dancers of the 20th century was Mikhail Baryshnikov, a Russian-American choreographer of numerous iconic pieces. Mikhail Baryshnikov, who pioneered multidisciplinary and modern dance, was born in 1948.

In June, while on tour with the Bolshoi, Mikhail Baryshnikov defected to the West and rose to prominence with the New York City Ballet. While working for the company, he applied the George Balanchine-developed Russian movement style. Later, he rose to the position of creative director at the American Ballet Theatre, where he managed several of his creative projects. He was a co-founder of the White Oak Dance Project in 1990. An accomplished and well-known artist, Mikhail Baryshnikov has made significant contributions to dance, choreography, theater, and television.

Born: January 27, 1948 (age 73)

Nationality: Russian-American

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