Dame Margot Fonteyn, DBE stage name of Margaret Evelyn de Arias, was an English ballerina. She spent her entire career as a dancer with the Royal Ballet, eventually being appointed prima ballerina assoluta of the company by Queen Elizabeth II.

Beginning ballet lessons at the age of four, she studied in England and China. Returning to London at the age of 14, she was invited to join the Vic-Wells Ballet School by Ninette de Valois. She succeeded A. Markova as prima ballerina of the company in 1935. In 1946, the company, now renamed the Sadler's Wells Ballet, moved into the Royal Opera House at Covent Garden where Fonteyn's most frequent partner throughout the next decade was M. Somes. 

 

In 1961, when Fonteyn was considering retirement, Rudolf Nureyev defected from the Kirov Ballet while dancing in Paris. The duo immediately became an international sensation. They were most noted for their classical performances in works such as Le Corsaire Pas de Deux, Les Sylphides, La Bayadère, Swan Lake, and Raymonda. In 1979, on the 60th anniversary of the ballerina, with the consent of Queen Elizabeth II, she was awarded the title Prima ballerina assoluta.

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