ballet

“His loss is deeply felt by the entire Mariinsky family and the wider ballet world.”

"This is a huge loss not only for the theatre's staff but for all of contemporary ballet," the company said in a statement on Saturday.

Compared to the Price sisters, their stories are comparatively undeveloped; as in ballet, the men are there for lifts and catches.

She often appeared as a guest artist with companies around the world and performed memorable pieces, including 1976’s “Pas de Duke” with ballet star Mikhail Baryshnikov.

Five years later, June saw her son David – a ballet dancer who had lost his career through injury - die of alcohol abuse.