February 27
Born Today:
Antoinette Sibley
Ballerina Antoinette Sibley (1939-) joined the Royal Ballet in 1956 and was best known for her partnership with dancer Anthony Dowell (1943-). Sibley created roles in the ballets The Dream (1964) and Enigma Variations (1968) by Frederick Ashton (1904-1988) and in Manon (1974) by Kenneth MacMillan (1929-1992). She retired in 1989 and became the president of the Royal Academy of Dance and continued to serve the organization where she learned to dance and spent her entire career.
Also Born Today: Ballerina Mariia Surovshchikova-Petipa (1836-1882), was the wife of choreographer Marius Petipa (1818-1910) and the mother of ballerina Marie Mariusovna Petipa (1857-1930). Dancer Vakhtang Chabukiani (1910-1992), was a Soviet ballet star whose dancing in key classical variations defined them for the upcoming generation of dancers.