Cynthia
Kathleen Gregory (born
July 8, 1946) is an American former prima ballerina. Born in Los Angeles, Gregory took up dancing when she was five, with
the encouragement of her parents, who hoped exercise would stem her history of
childhood illnesses. A performance by Margot Fonteyn and Rudolph Nureyev had
inspired young Cynthia to study ballet. By age six, she was en pointe;
and at age seven, she first appeared on the cover of Dance Magazine. She would eventually go on to dance with
Nureyev in a production of Romeo and Juliet, which he had
originated with Fonteyn as Juliet. He has called Gregory "America's Prima ballerina assoluta."
Much of Gregory’s early training was with Carmelita Maracci. Awarded a Ford Foundation scholarship at age 14 to study with
the San Francisco Ballet, she
quickly rose to soloist and became shortly thereafter a principal dancer, while
also dancing with the San Francisco Opera. Gregory
joined American Ballet Theatre (ABT)
in 1965. In 1967, when ABT was on tour in San Francisco, Gregory made an
auspicious debut as Odette-Odile in Swan Lake. Her New York debut in that role later the same year
marked her emergence as a major ballerina. The role is one in which her
performance is still recognized as definitive. Gregory’s other lead roles
include classical performances in Giselle, Sleeping Beauty, Coppélia, Don Quixote, La Sylphide, as well as contemporary works including The
Eternal Idol and At Midnight. At ABT alone, Gregory danced
in over eighty works, including over a dozen created for her. In 1986, Gregory
was chosen to open the newly refurbished Paramount Theater in Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania, when it became the F.M. Kirby
Center for the Performing Arts. Gregory resigned from ABT in 1991 to pursue a
more varied repertoire. She continued to perform as a permanent guest artist
with Cleveland San Jose Ballet,
Dances...Patrelle and Connecticut Ballet Theatre until ending her public
performances in 1992. Her career included guest performances with leading dance
companies of the world, including National Ballet of Canada, Zurich Ballet, San Francisco Ballet, Vienna State Opera Ballet, Ballet Nacional de Cuba,
and Stuttgart Ballet. She also
appeared with Linda Ronstadt in
Ronstadt’s music video of “When You Wish Upon a Star.” Gregory presently stages
classical ballets, coaches and gives master dance classes for dance companies
around the world. Her choreographic works include her solo to Bach’s “Air on
the G String,” as well as a two-minute rock video for Campbell's Soup. She has been featured in advertising
campaigns for American Express (“Do
you know me? You know my toes!”), Raytheon, and Rolex.
Gregory served as Chairman of the Board of Career Transition For
Dancers (a not-for-profit organization that provides career
counseling, scholarships and other vital services to dancers who, for reasons
of age or injury, are making a career change) from 1991 to 2015, when Career Transition For
Dancers merged with the Actors Fund of America. Since
2008, Gregory has been a member of the Board of Directors of the Isadora Duncan Dance Foundation, a non-profit organization
dedicated to extending the dream, dance legacy and spirit of Isadora Duncan.In 2010, Nevada Ballet Theatre announced
that Gregory will act as artistic advisor to the professional company and its
affiliated academy. The Cynthia Gregory Center for Coaching was
established at the company's Las Vegas studios.