Antoinette Sibley (1939-). British ballerina, coach and president of the Royal Academy of Dance

Antoinette Sibley was born in Bromley, Kent, in 1939. She trained at the Arts Educational School in Chiswick for five years before joining the Sadler’s Wells Ballet School in 1949. In 1956 she joined The Royal Ballet, initially undertaking small roles. She was coached by Tamara Karsavina in 1959, and danced her first Odette/Odile in Swan Lake, partnered by Michael Somes, who would later become her first husband. In 1960, Sibley became a principal dancer, and the following year appeared as Princess Aurora in The Sleeping Beauty, a role with which she was particularly associated.

1964 saw a pivotal moment in Sibley’s career: the creation of the role of Titania in Frederick Ashton’s Dream, and the beginning of her celebrated partnership with Anthony Dowell, one of the greatest in the history of The Royal Ballet, which lasted for nearly a quarter of a century. During her career with The Royal Ballet, Sibley danced many principal roles in the classical and dramatic repertoires. Among the outstanding roles created on her include Dorabella in Ashton’s Enigma Variations, and Manon in Kenneth MacMillan’s Manon.

Antoinette Sibley retired from The Royal Ballet in 1979, but returned to the stage in 1981, continuing until 1988 when injury forced her finally to stop dancing. She became president of the Royal Academy of Dance in 1991, and worked for The Royal Ballet as a guest coach. Antoinette Sibley was appointed CBE for services to dance in 1973, and DBE in 1996.