Afternoon of a Faun: Tanaquil Le Clercq

Of all the great ballerinas, Tanaquil Le Clercq (Tanny) may have been the most transcendent. With a body unlike any before hers, she mesmerized viewers and choreographers alike—her elongated, race-horse physique became the new prototype for the great George Balanchine. Her unique style, humour and authenticity redefined ballet for all dancers who followed. Amazingly, she was the muse to not one great artist but two; both George Balanchine and Jerome Robbins loved her as a dancer and a woman. Balanchine married her and Robbins created his famous version of "Afternoon of a Faun" for Tanny. Tanny was the foremost dancer of her day until her career came to a tragic end. On a tour of Europe, she was struck down by polio and she never danced again. The ballet world has been haunted by her story ever since.