Introduction
Lesley Collier CBE (born 13 March 1947) is an English ballerina and teacher of dance. In 1972 she became a principal dancer of the Royal Ballet. In 1995 she began to teach at the Royal Ballet School.
Life
Born at Orpington in Kent, Collier began dancing at the age of two and won a scholarship to attend the Royal Ballet School. In 1965 she completed her years at the school and for her graduation performance danced the leading role in Frederick Ashton's The Two Pigeons. The same year she joined the Royal Ballet. In 1968 she was given her first solo roles. She went on to perform in all of the important classical ballets, and in 1972 became a principal dancer.
On 13 November 1978 Collier danced with Wayne Sleep in a Royal Variety Performance at the London Palladium.
In 1981 The Ballet Goer's Guide called her "a dancer of sparkling technique and speed".
During her dance career Collier was leading ballerina in Giselle, La fille mal gardée, Anastasia, Romeo and Juliet, and Tchaikovsky's The Sleeping Beauty, The Nutcracker and Swan Lake. After retiring in 1995 she joined the teaching staff of the Royal Ballet School.
On DVD
- Great Pas de Deux (NVC Arts/Warner Music Group, 1997): dancing The Nutcracker with Anthony Dowell