Rowe, Marilyn (1946–)

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Rowe, Marilyn (1946–)

Australian ballet dancer. Name variations: Marilyn Rowe Cowden. Born Aug 20, 1946, in Sydney, NSW, Australia; attended Australian Ballet School; married an Australian Ballet stage director who was killed in plane crash, 1980; m. Peter Cowden (died); children: 2 sons.

At 17, joined the company of the Australian Ballet (1964), where she performed for most of career; was promoted to principal (1969); was most acclaimed for performances in Giselle, Don Quixote, with Rudolph Nureyev (1973), Romeo and Juliet, with John Meehan, Raymonda, Cinderella, Balanchine's Ballet Imperial, and Prokovsky's Anna Karenina; also danced with Kelvin Coe and Gary Norman; had to cut short dancing career after husband died and she awaited birth of her first-born, Christopher; served as director of the Dancers Company at Australian Ballet School (1984–90), became director of Australian Ballet School (1999). Made OBE.