MARKOVA, DAME ALICIA

orig. Lilian Alicia Marks

born Dec. 1, 1910, London, Eng.

died Dec. 2, 2004, Bath

British ballerina.

She made her debut with Sergey Diaghilev 's Ballets Russes in 1924 and became a leading ballerina noted for her ethereal lightness. At the Vic-Wells Ballet (1931–35; now the Royal Ballet ) she became the first English dancer to dance the lead in Giselle . With her frequent partner Anton Dolin , she formed and directed several Markova-Dolin companies (1935–38) and the Festival Ballet (1950–52; now the English National Ballet). She continued to dance as a guest artist with many companies worldwide, admired for her interpretations of roles in Les Sylphides and Swan Lake , among others. She retired from the stage in 1963 and served as director of the Metropolitan Opera Ballet (1963–69).