Allegra Kent (born August 11, 1937) is an American ballet dancer, actress, children's book author and columnist.

In Once a Dancer: An Autobiography, she describes her Texan father – "who liked to substitute 'Cowboy' for Herschel" – as having "a gambler's soul and a restless nature".

[3] Born in Santa Monica, Kent studied with Bronislava Nijinska and Carmelita Maracci before joining the School of American Ballet.

She had completely flat feet as a little girl and consulted a doctor, who prescribed wedges in her shoes to give her arches.

[7] In 2013, Ballerina Swan was adapted for the stage as a dance piece by the New York City Children's Theater,[8] featuring choreographer Michael McGowan and artistic director Barbara Zinn Krieger.