Annabelle Lyon (

New York City New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the most densely populated major city in the Un ...

, January 8, 1916 – November 4, 2011,

Mansfield, Massachusetts Mansfield is a town in Bristol County, Massachusetts, United States. As of the United States 2020 Census, the town population is 23,860. Mansfield is in the south-southwest suburbs of Boston and is also close to Providence, Rhode Island. The vill ...

) was an American

ballerina A ballet dancer ( it, ballerina fem.; ''ballerino'' masc.) is a person who practices the art of classical ballet. Both females and males can practice ballet; however, dancers have a strict hierarchy and strict gender roles. They rely on ye ...

. She was a principal dancer with American Ballet Theatre. She was raised in

Memphis Memphis most commonly refers to: * Memphis, Egypt, a former capital of ancient Egypt * Memphis, Tennessee, a major American city Memphis may also refer to: Places United States * Memphis, Alabama * Memphis, Florida * Memphis, Indiana * Memp ...

, where her father Max ran a chain of grocery stores. She took her first ballet lessons there and, showing talent, received a scholarship to

Michel Fokine Michael Fokine, ''Mikhail Mikhaylovich Fokin'', group=lower-alpha ( – 22 August 1942) was a groundbreaking Imperial Russian choreographer and dancer. Career Early years Fokine was born in Saint Petersburg to a prosperous merchant an ...

's school in New York and lived with relatives in

Brooklyn Brooklyn () is a borough of New York City, coextensive with Kings County, in the U.S. state of New York. Kings County is the most populous county in the State of New York, and the second-most densely populated county in the United States, be ...

. Lyon was a member of George Balanchine’s

American Ballet The American Ballet was the first professional ballet company George Balanchine created in the United States. The company was founded with the help of Lincoln Kirstein and Edward Warburg, managed by Alexander Merovitch and populated by students ...

, founded by Lincoln Kirstein in 1936, and danced in the original casts of ''

Le baiser de la fée ''Le Baiser de la fée'' (''The Fairy's Kiss'') is a neoclassical ballet in one act and four scenes composed by Igor Stravinsky in 1928 and revised in 1950 for George Balanchine and the New York City Ballet. Based on Hans Christian Andersen's s ...

'', '' Jeu de cartes'' and '' Serenade''. Three years later she was one of the original dancers of Ballet Theatre, now known as American Ballet Theatre. On January 12, 1940, she was the company's first '' Giselle'', partnered by Anton Dolin. The next year, on October 31, she danced her former teacher Fokine's '' Le Spectre de la Rose''; she and her partner Ian Gibson were the last dancers taught the rôles by the choreographer. Her repertory included classical as well as contemporary works by the company's founders

Antony Tudor Antony Tudor (born William Cook; 4 April 1908 – 19 April 1987) was an English ballet choreographer, teacher and dancer. He founded the London Ballet, and later the Philadelphia Ballet Guild in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, U.S., in the mid-195 ...

and Agnes de Mille; de Mille's 1941 '' Three Virgins and a Devil'' (as The Lustful One), Tudor's 1942 '' Pillar of Fire''. On May 12, 1947, she danced with

Jerome Robbins Jerome Robbins (born Jerome Wilson Rabinowitz; October 11, 1918 – July 29, 1998) was an American dancer, choreographer, film director, theatre director and producer who worked in classical ballet, on stage, film, and television. Among his nu ...

in the premiere of his '' Summer Day'' at

New York City Center New York City Center (previously known as the Mecca Temple, City Center of Music and Drama,. The name "City Center for Music and Drama Inc." is the organizational parent of the New York City Ballet and, until 2011, the New York City Opera. and t ...

. Leaving Ballet Theater, Lyon danced on Broadway in '' Carousel'' (1945–47) and in ''

Juno Juno commonly refers to: *Juno (mythology), the Roman goddess of marriage and queen of the gods *Juno (film), ''Juno'' (film), 2007 Juno may also refer to: Arts, entertainment and media Fictional characters *Juno, in the film ''Jenny, Juno'' *Ju ...

'' (1959), both choreographed by de Mille. She married businessman Julius Borah in 1946, their son Joshua survives them.

References

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Lyon, Annabelle American ballerinas American Ballet Theatre dancers New York City Ballet dancers 1916 births 2011 deaths 20th-century American ballet dancers Burials at Massachusetts National Cemetery