Wallace, Audrey, 1924-

Sir Anton Dolin was one of the twentieth century's premier danseurs, who danced with, and founded, many of the century's premier ballet companies. Born Sydney Francis Patrick Chippenhall Healey-Kay in Sussex, England, on July 27, 1904, he studied with the Russian teacher Serafina Astafieva, who taught Alicia Markova and Margot Fonteyn. Trained as an actor, Dolin also appeared in plays for his entire dance career. He made his theatrical debut at twelve and his professional dance debut at seventeen. Among other companies, he danced with Diaghilev's Ballets Russes in the 1920s, and was an original member of the Camargo Society Ballet, and later the Vic-Wells Ballet. While there, he reformed his partnership with Alicia Markova, which would continue for most of the next twenty years.

Formed in 1935, the Markova-Dolin Company dissolved in 1938; Dolin then danced in revues until 1940, when he became the premier danseur of a new company, Ballet Theatre, later American Ballet Theatre. Markova rejoined him in 1941, and they toured together, appearing in Dolin's staging of several ballet classics. They were in the United States for most of World War II, either dancing with the American Ballet Theatre or with their own company under the aegis of Sol Hurok. They appeared in the film A Song for Miss Julie in 1945. In 1949, Dolin returned to London and, again with Markova, founded another company, which would become the London Festival Ballet (now the English National Ballet).

Dolin continued to perform as a premier danseur until 1961, when he retired from the London Festival Ballet. He continued as a choreographer, actor and director, staging the classics and his own ballets with many international companies. Dolin wrote six books on dance and a diary for Ballet News for many years. Anton Dolin was working in Paris when he suffered a heart attack and died on November 25, 1983, aged 79.

Audrey M. Wagner (1923-2006), also known as Audrey Wallace, studied dance with Ludmilla Schollar. A friend of Anton Dolin's, she collected memorabilia to document his dance career.

From the guide to the Audrey Wagner collection of Anton Dolin memorabilia, 1927-2004, 1939-1984, (The New York Public Library. Jerome Robbins Dance Division.)