Adeline Genée, born Anina Margarete Kirstina Petra Jensen, was a Danish-British ballerina, choreographer, and dance educator renowned for her refined technique and charm. Genée was adopted at the age of eight by her aunt and uncle - Antonia Zimmermann and Alexander Genée - who were both famous dancers and wanted to train their young niece for the stage. Alexander ran his own ballet company and Genée appeared with Alexander Genée’s company at the Berlin Opera and Munich Opera before coming to London. Genée made her debut at London's Empire Theatre on 22 November 1897 becoming the regular star ballerina performing in productions such as Old China (1901), The Milliner Duchess (1903), High Jinks (1904), Cinderella and Coppelia (1906).
In 1920 she became founder president of the Association of Teachers of Operatic Dancing of Great Britain (later the RAD) and was instrumental in obtaining the Royal Charter in 1935. She continued as president of the RAD until 1954 and inspired the Genée International Ballet Competition (now The Fonteyn).
Dame Margaret Evelyn de Arias DBE (née Hookham), known by the stage name Margot Fonteyn, was an English ballerina and Prima Ballerina Assoluta of The Royal Ballet. In 1954 she succeeded Adeline Genée as president of the Royal Academy of Dance, a position she held until her death in 1991.