prima ballerina

American  

[pree-muh] / ˈpri mə /

noun

1. the principal ballerina in a ballet company.

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prima ballerina British  

/ ˈpriːmə /

noun

1. a leading female ballet dancer

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prima ballerina Cultural  

1. The leading ballerina in a dance company.

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Etymology

Origin of prima ballerina

1895–1900; < Italian: literally, first ballerina

Example Sentences

Any joy she had once taken in dancing had left her, as had her grandiose dreams of being, at twelve years old, the youngest prima ballerina in the history of ballet.

From Literature

Garr fancied herself a prima ballerina, obsessively pursuing that goal after her father died.

From Los Angeles Times

But Valieva’s grace was what lifted her to another level: She floated across the ice, moving to the music as gently as a prima ballerina, with every inch of her body feeling the music.

From New York Times

Ms. Seymour and Gable were dropped from the main cast, and the ballet opened with Rudolf Nureyev and prima ballerina Margot Fonteyn, to whom she was forced to teach the steps.

From Washington Post

Lives Lived: The former prima ballerina Lupe Serrano helped define ballet in America and was a beloved teacher to generations of dancers.

From New York Times