Alexandra Radius

Alexandra Mary Theodora Radius, known as Lex, was born on 3 July 1942 in Amsterdam. A retired Dutch ballerina, she made her professional debut in 1957 with the Netherlands Ballet of Sonia Gaskell and went on to build a career spanning more than three decades across major ballet companies in Europe and the United States.

It was during her time at the Netherlands Ballet that Radius met Han Ebbelaar in 1959, the dancer who would become both her husband and her primary performing partner throughout her career. Together, Radius and Ebbelaar held soloist positions at the Dutch National Ballet and the Nederlands Dans Theater. From 1968 to 1970, the pair also danced with the American Ballet Theatre, and Radius appeared on Broadway in 1978 as part of her work with the Dutch National Ballet.

Throughout her performing life, Radius worked across both classical and contemporary repertoire. Her contemporary work included choreographies by Rudi van Dantzig and Hans van Manen, and beyond Ebbelaar, she performed regularly alongside Rudolf Nureyev, Henny Jurriëns, and Alan Land.

Radius retired from performing in 1990 at the age of 48. On the occasion of her retirement, she was awarded the Medal of Honor for Art and Science of the Order of the House of Orange. Her legacy in Dutch dance is further recognized through the Alexandra Radius Prize, an award established in her name to honor rising young dance talent.