Clive Barnes (1927-2008).

For tributes, see p. 114

Rosella Hightower (1920-2008) When Rosella Hightower crossed the Atlantic to join Leonide Massine's Ballet Russe de Monte Carlo in 1937, she became one of the first American ballerinas to shine on a European stage.

Of Native American Choctaw descent, this only daughter of a Kansas City railroad worker began dancing in Kansas City but moved to New York in her teens to study with Michel Fokine and Anatole Vilzak. An elegant dancer with a lovely classical line, technical power, and great polish, she caught Massine's eye when he came to New York to audition dancers. In his company, she met Andre Eglevsky, who would be her partner through her moves to several other companies.

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When the Ballet Russe came to the U.S. to escape World War II, Hightower danced with Ballet Theatre (later ABT), Colonel de Basil's Original Ballet Russe, and the Markova-Dolin Company. Her longest affiliation began in 1947 with the Grand Ballet du Marquis de Cuevas, where she had ample opportunity to work with one of her mentors, Bronislava Nijinska. She credited Nijinska with teaching her the importance of rhythm.

After the Marquis died in 1961, Hightower started her own dance academy, the Centre de Danse Classique, in Cannes. Unlike most of the French dance academies, the Centre de Danse was set up as a boarding school with an international staff and students. In the nearly five decades since its inception, the school has provided top-notch dancers to prestigious companies, including Ballet Bejart and the Paris Opera Ballet.

While running the school in Cannes, Hightower also directed the Marseilles Opera Ballet (1969-1972); the Paris Opera Ballet (1980-1983), where she was responsible for igniting Patrick Dupond's career; and the La Scala Ballet of Milan (1985-1986). She was made Chevalier de la Legion d'Honneur in 1975.

Hightower's dedication, enthusiasm, and spirit have defied the passage of time. Her school continues to be a place where movement is taught as a means to express the soul, a guiding principal for this unforgettable Native American star.