Igor Youskevitch

Igor Youskevitch (Russian: Игорь Юскевич, Ukrainian: Ігор Юскевич) (13 March 1912 – 13 June 1994) was a ballet dancer and a choreographer of Russian-Ukrainian origin, famous as one of the greatest male ballet dancers of the 20th century, as a master of the classic style, e.g., in Afternoon of a Faun, and as a dance partner to Alicia Alonso.

He came to dance relatively late in life, however, his talent led to rapid promotion, and in 1932 he made his first appearance on the Paris stage.

In 1937 he joined Le Ballet Russe de Monte Carlo under the direction of Leonid Massine as first dancer, touring with them in the late-1930s.

After the war, he struggled to return to shape for dancing and began a successful career in the United States in 1946 by joining the American Ballet Theatre in New York.

His unique ability to blend athleticism with artistry is vividly captured in his aerialist sequences for Gene Kelly's pioneering 1956 ballet film Invitation to the Dance.