TORRANCE, Calif., April 17 (UPI) -- Natalia Clare, a American who became principal dancer with Ballet Russes de Monte Carlo and later a teacher, has died in Torrance, Calif., at the age of 87.
Clare, who died April 8 of complications from a series of strokes, was the director and choreographer of Ballet La Jeunesse, which she ran until the late 1980s, The Los Angeles Times said Tuesday.
Clare studied ballet with Bronislava Nijinska, making her professional debut in 1940 dancing for Nijinska at the Hollywood Bowl. While dancing with the Ballet Russes de Monte Carlo, she married Oleg Tupine, a Ballets Russes star and they became a couple onstage as well, the newspaper said.
Clare joined a rival company as a principal dancer, performing leading roles in classics as "Les Sylphides," "Coppelia" and "The Nutcracker," among others.
Clare and Tupine also danced for the Markova-Dolin Ballet and other troupes, including one they founded. They eventually divorced.
A knee injury forced Clare to end her dancing career in the late 1950s, by which time she had founded the Ballet La Jeunesse school and company. The Times said.
She is survived by a son.
