Gregory, Cynthia (1946–)

American ballerina. Born Cynthia Kathleen Gregory on July 8, 1946, in Los Angeles, California; only child of Konstantin Gregory (dress manufacturer) and Marcelle (Tremblay) Gregory; studied ballet with Michel Panaieff, Robert Rossellat, Carmelita Maracci, and Jacques D'Amboise; m. Terrence S. Orr (dancer), May 14, 1966 (div. 1975); m. John Hemminger (rock-music manager and promoter), 1976 (died 1984); m. Hilary B. Miller (investment banker), in Dec 1985: children: a stepdaughter, Amanda Hemminger, and a son, Lloyd Miller.

Acclaimed for her technical virtuosity and dramatic appeal, gained international stardom as a principal dancer with New York's American Ballet Theater (ABT), where she was best known for her individualized interpretations of the leading roles in classical ballets, particularly Swan Lake; enrolled in the San Francisco Ballet School and danced as an apprentice with the company's corps de ballet; became an official member of the company (1961), dancing 1st solo in The Nutcracker; joined ABT and was elevated to soloist (1966), then principal dancer (1967); distinguished herself in works like Undertow, Miss Julie and Intermezzo; danced Swanilda in Coppélia (1977) to acclaim; performed as a guest artist with other companies, among them the Stuttgart Ballet and the state opera ballets of Zurich, Vienna, and Munich; toured with her own troupe in "Cynthia Gregory: A Celebration of Twenty-Five Years of Dancing."

See also Women in World History.