Born in New York City in 1920, Nora Koreff began taking dance lessons at the Metropolitan Opera Ballet School at the age of eight. At fifteen she joined the Met╒s corps de ballet, and in the fall of 1935 she joined George Balanchine╒s American Ballet company when it became the Met╒s resident dance troupe. By that time she had altered her surname to Kaye. She also studied under Michel Fokine. For a time in the later 1930s she became interested in Broadway and danced in a number of musical productions, including Virginia, 1937, Great Lady, 1938, and Stars in Your Eyes, 1939. For nine months she was a member of the Radio City Music Hall ballet.
In 1939 Kaye returned to classical dance as an original member of the corps of the Ballet Theatre (later American Ballet Theatre) where she developed rapidly under the instruction of Antony Tudor. Her first substantial character role was in Tudor╒s Gala Performance in February 1941. Other small parts followed in various works, but in April 1942 she burst into the ranks of prima ballerinas with her performance as Hagar in the world premiere of Tudor╒s Pillar of Fire. As Ballet Theatre╒s leading dramatic ballerina, she subsequently danced major roles in Tudor╒s Dark Elegies, Fokine╒s Bluebeard and Apollo, Tudor╒s Lilac Garden and Dim Lustre, Massine╒s Mademoiselle Angot and Romeo and Juliet, Balanchine╒s Waltz Academy (premiere, October 1944), Nijinska╒s Harvest Time, Kidd╒s On Stage! (premiere, October 1945), Semenoff╒s Gift of the Magi (premiere, October 1945), Taras╒s Graziana (premiere, October 1945), Jerome Robbins╒s Facsimile (premiere, October 1946), Ashton╒s Les Patineurs, and Agnes de Mille╒s Fall River Legend, the leading role of which had been choreographed with her in mind, although illness delayed her dancing it until after the premiere in April 1948. Other productions in which she starred included Fokine╒s Petrouchka, Balanchine╒s Theme and Variations, and Tudor╒s Nimbus.
In February 1951 Kaye left Ballet Theatre for the New York City Ballet, with which she appeared in Robbins╒s The Cage (premiere, June 1951), his Age of Anxiety, and Tudor╒s La Gloire (premiere, February 1952). In 1952 she also appeared in Bette Davis╒s Broadway revue Two╒s Company in choreography by Robbins. From 1954 to 1959 she was again with Ballet Theatre, now called American Ballet Theatre, where she danced in Winter╒s Eve, Journey, and Paean. She saw herself as a very American ballet dancer, compelled to question the traditions, interpretations, and movement of ballet. She advised younger dancers ╥not to accept until you understand (at least to your own satisfaction), and not to dance any role, ancient or new, until you do understand.╙ In August 1959 she married choreographer Herbert Ross, with whom the next year she formed the Ballet of Two Worlds, a company that presented Ross╒s Angel Head, Rashomon Suite, and The Dybbuk. She retired from performing in 1961. In 1964 she was named assistant to the director of the American Ballet Theatre, and she served as the Associate Artistic Director from 1977-1983. She and her husband produced the motion picture The Turning Point in 1977, and collaborated again in 1987 on Ross' film Dancers. She died at her home in Santa Monica, California, on February 28, 1987.
vstyl ` R ! ¬ 5¬ 5¬ $ !I , !I 4 !I < !I F !I R !I d !I ╡ 5¬ ╢ !I ░ !I └ !I !I ì !I ∩ !I √ !I !I !I !I !I $ !I 0 !I 5 !I ? !I K !I ] !I b !I r !I ü !I Ä !I ┤ !I └ !I ╔ !I ╥ !I ° !I !I + !I 3 !I _ !I h !I î !I Ö !I ƒ !I ▐ ¡ !I ░ !I ┴ !I É !I Ü !I ⌐ !I ╜ !I ╦ !I ╤ !I ╘ 5¬ ╒ !I B !I J !I f !I t !I é !I ï !I ─ !I ▐ ╧ !I ß !I ε !I y !I à !I ç !I Ä !I ö !I Ö !I ] !I g !I i !I w !I } !I ê !I s !I ä !I ╗ !I ┬ !I .link ` HYPR ƒ ¡HYPR ─ ╧
