Born to a liberal Lithuanian Jewish family in Warsaw, Congress Poland, she was originally named Cyvia (Cesia) Rambam.

Her father, Yakov Ramberg (1855–1928), born in Vištytis, a small town in Suwałki Governorate (nowadays in Lithuania), was a learned merchant and Hebrew publisher and lexicographer, and a Zionist.

Subjects such as foreign languages and history seemed to come easy; however she was a restless child and ended up getting bad marks because of her endless movements during class.

She met Raymond Duncan, brother of Isadora, at this same party, who congratulated her on a wonderful performance, and again she was back into her passion for dance.

[9] One day at the Dalcroze College, Sergei Diaghilev, watched a class and then asked her to come back to Berlin and study with him in the Ballets Russes.

After a tour with Nijinsky and Ballets Russes, Rambert's contract was not continued and she decided it was time for a new chapter.

She began finding new and promising dancers and choreographers in numerous places, such as Frederick Ashton, to be a part of her company and gave them a chance to grow.

Ashley Dukes, Marie's husband, renovated a building and made it into Mercury Theatre, where the majority of Ballet Rambert's performance occurred.

In 1965 Rambert, with the help of "Norman Morrice, her newest discovery, completely reorganized the company to stress modern dance".

It is owed absolutely to the idealism which fired Rambert and Ninette de Valois",[17] the founder of The Royal Ballet.