Carolyn George

Carolyn George (September 6, 1927 – February 10, 2009) was an American ballerina, dance instructor, and photographer whose Broadway career spanned from 1943 to 1957. Born in Dallas, Texas, she was descended from some of the first settlers in Waco, Texas.

George trained at the School of American Ballet and at the San Francisco Ballet's school before beginning her professional dance career in 1952. That same year she joined the New York City Ballet on its European tour, performing in George Balanchine's Swan Lake. She advanced to the rank of soloist with the company and created roles in Todd Bolender's Souvenirs, William Dollar's Five Gifts, and Jerome Robbins' Fanfare. Her Broadway credits included Oklahoma!, Shinbone Alley, and the 1954 revival of On Your Toes, a production that Balanchine had choreographed.

It was during her time with the New York City Ballet that George met dancer Jacques d'Amboise, whom she married on New Year's Day, 1956. The couple had four children, among them dancers Christopher, who married Kelly Crandell, and Charlotte, who married Terrence Mann. George contributed photographs to her son's autobiography Leap Year: A Year in the Life of a Dancer, and her photographic work also appeared in Teaching the Magic of Dance, a book by Jacques d'Amboise and Hope Cooke published by Simon & Schuster.

George continued working as a photographer until her death, having begun that pursuit during her years at the New York City Ballet and the School of American Ballet. She died on February 10, 2009, at her Manhattan home from primary lateral sclerosis at the age of 81.