Donald MacLeary

Donald MacLeary (born August 22, 1937, Glasgow, Scotland) is a Scottish premier danseur noted for his strong finesse and natural romanticism.

MacLeary was trained at the Royal Ballet School, London, and joined the company in 1954. He was promoted in the next year to soloist, becoming in 1959 the youngest premier danseur of the Royal Ballet. In partnership principally with Svetlana Beriosova, MacLeary danced classical leads, including those in Swan Lake, La Fille mal gardée, and Romeo and Juliet, and he created major roles in many modern ballets. After retiring in 1975, he became ballet master of the Royal Ballet. In 1979, however, he returned to the stage as a guest dancer, performing with the Scottish Ballet, among other companies. He later served as répétiteur (1981–85) and répétiteur to principal dancers (1985–2002) at the Royal Ballet. He subsequently held various informal posts with different troupes.

MacLeary was appointed an Officer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE) on the 2004 New Year Honours list.