Margot Fonteyn (born Margaret Evelyn Hookham) was an outstanding British ballerina, prima ballerina of the Royal Ballet in London, and the recipient of the highest ballet title, Prima ballerina assoluta. Born in 1919 in Reigate, Surrey, England, she began studying ballet at the age of four. At eight, she moved with her family to Shanghai, where she trained in the studio of the Russian émigré Georgy Goncharov. In 1933, she returned to London and continued her studies in the studio of Ninette de Valois (her teachers were Olga Preobrazhenskaya and Mathilde Kschessinska). In 1934, she debuted with the Vic-Wells ballet company (later the Royal Ballet). Following the departure of Alicia Markova, she assumed the role of prima ballerina, performing principal parts in classical ballets such as "Swan Lake", "Giselle", and "The Sleeping Beauty". She further refined her skills in the private studio of Vera Volkova. In the post-war years, she danced the premieres of Frederick Ashton's ballets: "Daphnis and Chloe" (1951), "Sylvia" (1952), and "Ondine" (1958). In 1961, Margot Fonteyn met Rudolf Nureyev. Their debut duet in "Giselle" was a resounding success. Frederick Ashton specifically choreographed the ballet "Marguerite and Armand" (1963) for this pair. In 1979, on the occasion of her 60th birthday and with the consent of Queen Elizabeth II, she was awarded the title of Prima ballerina assoluta. The Bakhrushin Theatre Museum's online collection features photographs of Margot Fonteyn on stage performing a duet with Rudolf Nureyev and other materials relating to the ballerina.