Lydia Sokolova (1896–1974)

Lydia Sokolova was born Hilda Munnings in Wanstead, England. She studied at the Stedman Ballet Academy in London and privately with several famous dancers and teachers such as Anna Pavlova, Mikhail Mordkin, and Enrico Cecchetti. She made her debut in London in 1910 and toured with Mordkin's company. In 1913, she was chosen by Sergei Diaghilev to join the Ballets Russes and it was he who changed her name. She danced for more than 50 years and created roles in ballets choreographed by Leonide Massine, Vaslav Nijinsky, Bronislava Nijinska, and George Balanchine. She published her memoirs, Dancing for Diaghilev, in 1960.