Allegra Kent
Encyclopedia
Allegra Kent is an American ballet dancer and actress.
Born in Santa Monica
, Kent studied with Bronislava Nijinska
and Carmelita Maracci before joining the School of American Ballet
. After graduating, she joined the New York City Ballet
in 1953 at the age of 15, and was promoted to principal in 1957. Many roles in George Balanchine
's ballets were created for her, including Seven Deadly Sins, Ivesiana
, and Bugaku
. She danced the role of Dewdrop in the 1958 Playhouse 90
telecast of Balanchine's version of The Nutcracker
.
Successfully making the transition into maturity, she performed in such ballets as Serenade
, Agon, and Dances at a Gathering
. She retired in 1981, becoming a freelance teacher; in 1997 she published an autobiography called "Once a Dancer".
Allegra currently teaches ballet at Barnard College
, the women's college affiliated with Columbia University in the City of New York.
Born in Santa Monica
Santa Mônica
Santa Mônica is a town and municipality in the state of Paraná in the Southern Region of Brazil.-References:...
, Kent studied with Bronislava Nijinska
Bronislava Nijinska
Bronislava Nijinska - February 22, 1972)) was a Russian dancer, choreographer, and teacher of Polish descent.Nijinska was born in Minsk, the third child of the Polish dancers Tomasz and Eleonora Nijinska . Her brother was Vaslav Nijinsky...
and Carmelita Maracci before joining the School of American Ballet
School of American Ballet
The School of American Ballet is one of the most famous classical ballet schools in the world and is the associate school of the New York City Ballet, a leading international ballet company based at the Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts in New York City. The school trains students from the...
. After graduating, she joined the New York City Ballet
New York City Ballet
New York City Ballet is a ballet company founded in 1948 by choreographer George Balanchine and Lincoln Kirstein. Leon Barzin was the company's first music director. Balanchine and Jerome Robbins are considered the founding choreographers of the company...
in 1953 at the age of 15, and was promoted to principal in 1957. Many roles in George Balanchine
George Balanchine
George Balanchine , born Giorgi Balanchivadze in Saint Petersburg, Russia, to a Georgian father and a Russian mother, was one of the 20th century's most famous choreographers, a developer of ballet in the United States, co-founder and balletmaster of New York City Ballet...
's ballets were created for her, including Seven Deadly Sins, Ivesiana
Ivesiana
Ivesiana is a ballet made by New York City Ballet co-founder and balletmaster George Balanchine to Charles Ives' Central Park in the Dark , The Unanswered Question , In the Inn , and In the Night shortly after the composer's death. The premiere took place September 14, 1954, at the City Center of...
, and Bugaku
Bugaku (ballet)
Bugaku is a ballet made by New York City Ballet co-founder and balletmaster George Balanchine to eponymous music by Toshiro Mayuzumi commissioned by City Ballet in 1962. The premiere took place on March 30, 1963, at City Center of Music and Drama, New York, with scenery by David Hays, costumes by...
. She danced the role of Dewdrop in the 1958 Playhouse 90
Playhouse 90
Playhouse 90 is an American television anthology series that was telecast on CBS from 1956 to 1960 for a total of 133 episodes. It originated from CBS Television City in Los Angeles, California...
telecast of Balanchine's version of The Nutcracker
The Nutcracker
The Nutcracker is a two-act ballet, originally choreographed by Marius Petipa and Lev Ivanov with a score by Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky. The libretto is adapted from E.T.A. Hoffmann's story "The Nutcracker and the Mouse King". It was given its première at the Mariinsky Theatre in St...
.
Successfully making the transition into maturity, she performed in such ballets as Serenade
Serenade (ballet)
Serenade is a ballet by George Balanchine, subsequently co-founder and balletmaster of New York City Ballet, to Tschaikovsky's 1880 Serenade for Strings in C, Op. 48...
, Agon, and Dances at a Gathering
Dances at a Gathering
Dances at a Gathering is a ballet made by New York City Ballet balletmaster Jerome Robbins to the music of Chopin: *John Clifford*Robert Maiorano*John Prinz*Edward Villella- 2008 Spring – Jerome Robbins celebration : *Yvonne Borree...
. She retired in 1981, becoming a freelance teacher; in 1997 she published an autobiography called "Once a Dancer".
Allegra currently teaches ballet at Barnard College
Barnard College
Barnard College is a private women's liberal arts college and a member of the Seven Sisters. Founded in 1889, Barnard has been affiliated with Columbia University since 1900. The campus stretches along Broadway between 116th and 120th Streets in the Morningside Heights neighborhood in the borough...
, the women's college affiliated with Columbia University in the City of New York.
Sources
- Barnard Dance Faculty http://www.barnard.edu/dance/faculty_bio.html#allegrakent
- The Encyclopedia of Dance & Ballet (1977), Rainbird Reference Books LTD ISBN 0-907408-63-X
- The Ballerina Gallery