Cynthia Gregory's Chart

American dancer, a prima-ballerina, 5' 6" tall, a neoclassical goddess of the dance who stands 6' tall when on Pointe.. An extraordinary dancer with flawless technique and rare versatility, she is equally at home with classical and modern dance. Her first New York performance of Giselle in August, 1973 was rewarded with a 22 minute ovation, floral bouquets by the armful, confetti and blossoms; she had become a star at 27. Gregory had her first lesson at five. By 11, she was working with Carmelita Maracci, the trainer of Balanchine dancers. At 14, she won a scholarship with the San Francisco Ballet, at which time, her supportive family moved to the San Francisco Bay Area. Since 1967, Gregory has been the Principal Dancer with the American Ballet Theater. Onstage she is imperious and aloof, in private she is shy, fragile and gentle, never fully confident until she is on stage. In 1985, a gala evening during American Ballet Theater's season at the Metropolitan Opera celebrated Gregory's 20 years with the company. She called it "one of the high points, if not the high point, of my career." Widowed a few years prior, in December 1985 she married Hilary Miller, a lawyer and businessman. During the fall of 1986, her book "Ballet is the Best Exercise," was published by Simon & Schuster.