Peggy Hookham, later known as Margot Fonteyn, was a dancer destined for stardom from a young age. Her Brazilian-Irish mother nurtured her talent, and when her father's work took the family to Shanghai, she was enrolled in the Royal Ballet School at age 14.
Her father, interned by the Japanese during World War II, stayed in Shanghai, and Peggy's mother and she returned to the UK when she was 14. Part of the grooming process involved changing her name to Margot Fonteyn, which she regarded as a significant step in her career.
Under the guidance of influential coaches like Tamara Karsavina and Olga Preobrajenska, Margot showed exceptional talent and dedication. She worked with George Balanchine, staged and choreographed ballet for Sadler's Wells, and performed as Princess Aurora in The Sleeping Beauty, setting a new standard for the role.
Margot's success continued, and she became the most famous and successful ballerina in the world. Despite her fame, she struggled with personal relationships, falling in love with composer Constant Lambert and later marrying Roberto "Tito" Arias, a Panamanian delegate to the U.N.
Tito's plans for an armed invasion of Panama City to reclaim power for his family were unsuccessful, and Margot joined him. In 1962, she met Rudolf Nureyev, who revitalized her career, leading to some of her most remarkable performances.
In 1964, Tito was shot and paralyzed, and Margot dedicated the rest of her life to his care, mainly due to the financial support she needed. She continued dancing, attracting controversy for performing in apartheid South Africa and Chile.
Margot made her last appearance on stage in 1979 and retired to Panama, where she and Tito ran a cattle stud. When Tito died in 1989, Margot discovered he had mortgaged their farm, forcing her to auction her jewelry to pay for her own medical care and newly discovered cancer. Dame Margot Fonteyn passed away on February 21st, 1991, and was buried in the Arias family plot in Panama beside herTito.
