Violette Verdy

• Born in France in on Dec. 1, 1933 (as Nelly Guillerm).

• She started her career in 1945 with the ballets des Champs-Elysées, and later joined Roland Petit's Ballets de Paris to premiere Le Loup (1953).
• She was an etoile of the New York City Ballet from 1958 to 1977, and was the director of the Paris Opera Ballet from 1977 to 1980.

• She premiered:
  • Le Loup ( Petit)- 1953
  • Episodes (Balanchine)- 1959
  • Panamerica (Balanchine, Moncion, Taras, D'Amboise...)
  • Tchaikovsky Pas de Deux (Balanchine)- 1960
  • Liebeslieder Walzer ( Balanchine )- 1960
  • Electronics (Balanchine)- 1961
  • A Midsummer Night's Dream (Balanchine)- 1962
  • La Guirlande de Campra (Taras)- 1966
  • Jewels ( Balanchine )- 1967
  • Glinkiana (Balanchine)- 1967
  • La Source ( Balanchine )- 1968
  • Dances at a gathering (Robbins)- 1969
  • In The Night (Robbins)- 1970
  • Sarabande and Danse (Clifford)- 1970
  • Printemps (Lorca Massine)- 1972
  • Pulcinella ( Balanchine )- 1972
  • Choral Variations on Bach's "Von Himmel Hoch" ( Balanchine )- 1972
  • Sonatine ( Balanchine )- 1975