Maria Danilova (1793 – 1810) was a Russian ballet dancer.

Maria Danilova
Born1793 (1793)
Died1810 (aged 17)
OccupationDancer

Biography

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Danilova enrolled in the St. Petersburg school at the age of eight. The trainer Charles-Louis Didelot took notice of her talent, and she made her first public appearance a year later. By the age of 15 she was dancing with Louis-Antoine Duport. Her dancing was described as "so light and elusive that it took the audience's breath away". Danilova had a fragile constitution and the stress of performance as well as a brief, unhappy affair with Duport took a toll on her health. She died of tuberculosis at the age of 17.[1]

The Danilova crater on Venus is named in her honor.[2]

References

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  1. ^ "Beginnings of Russian Ballet". Andros on Ballet.
  2. ^ Russell, Joel F. (May 1994). Gazetteer of Venusian Nomenclature (PDF). U.S. Geological Survey. p. 4.