How to Use prima ballerina in a Sentence

prima ballerina

noun
Definition of prima ballerinanext
  • For years, Kingston has played understudy to a prima ballerina named Hudson, about 30 miles to the north and across the river.
    — Nikita Richardson, New York Times, 13 June 2023
  • While the police try to figure out what went down when Cassie did, the remaining dancers are more concerned with who will replace the prima ballerina.
    — Ruth Kinane, EW.com, 16 Dec. 2020
  • My grandma was a prima ballerina, so my acting stems from her.
    — Krista Smith, Vanities, 11 Aug. 2017
  • What happens to that ballet when a new prima ballerina takes center stage?
    — Helen Branswell, STAT, 20 Sep. 2021
  • Irina Kolesnikova has a wealth of credits on her dance card, but the prima ballerina has made her career from one particular role of a lifetime.
    — Rachel King, Fortune, 22 Feb. 2020
  • Bella chose to pull her hair back into a bun that's as tight as a prima ballerina's updo, leaving her face natural with an orangey-nude lip.
    — Seventeen, 25 Aug. 2022
  • But there is also a scary side to this 1948 British classic about a prima ballerina whose red dancing shoes take on a life of their own, moving faster than her feet and causing her to plummet from the balcony to the railroad line below.
    — Ruthe Stein, San Francisco Chronicle, 25 Apr. 2018
  • Due largely to the fact that the ballet featured children—too young for pointe slippers and not yet able to match the fancy footwork of a prima ballerina—The Nutcracker was, initially, not considered a success.
    — Lilah Ramzi, Vogue, 14 Dec. 2020
  • The Malaysian actor decides not go to England to study dance, with every intention of becoming a prima ballerina one day, and avoids suffering a back injury that forces her to abandon her dream.
    — David Fear, Rolling Stone, 7 Apr. 2022
  • The Oscar winner plays Dominika Egorova, a prima ballerina who dances to provide for her mother.
    — USA TODAY, 14 Sep. 2017
  • But Washington’s elite social world can pivot faster than a prima ballerina.
    — Roxanne Roberts, Washington Post, 23 Nov. 2020
  • In one, French prima ballerina Yvette Chauviré struts, arms held high standing in a field, recalling a Goya pastoral scene; another captures a dancer’s sculptural buttocks.
    — John Hopewell, Variety, 21 Oct. 2021
  • The blandly emotive choreography, seen in brief flashes is not worthy of a prima ballerina, much less an apprentice.
    — Gia Kourlas, New York Times, 27 Mar. 2020
  • Maria Tallchief, born in Oklahoma in 1925, was America's first prima ballerina.
    — Sarah Ewall-Wice, CBS News, 4 Apr. 2022
  • She was recognized the world over for the stylized beauty of her choreography and was named prima ballerina assoluta, the rarely bestowed highest honor in dance.
    — Peter Orsi and Andrea Rodriquez Oct. 17, SFChronicle.com, 17 Oct. 2019
  • Natalie starred as prima ballerina Nina Sayers while Benjamin was hired to choreograph the iconic ballet sequences for the film.
    — Adrianna Freedman, Good Housekeeping, 9 July 2022
  • The chest, which has been owned by Ludmilla Tchérina, a French prima ballerina, sculptor, actress, painter, choreographer, and author of two novels.
    — Natasha Gural, Forbes, 28 June 2022
  • Pizarro is the Spanish dance equivalent of a prima ballerina, a 15-year veteran of one of the most prolific and recognized dance companies committed to Spanish dancing.
    — Lauren Warnecke, chicagotribune.com, 23 May 2018
  • Maria Tallchief, who broke barriers as a Native American dancer, is regarded as the first American prima ballerina.
    — Harmeet Kaur, CNN, 4 Apr. 2022
  • Cuba follows several storylines, including a young ballet student who pushes herself to the top of her class with dreams of becoming a prima ballerina.
    — Bryan Alexander, USA TODAY, 6 Sep. 2017
  • Obsession drives a dedicated ballerina (Natalie Portman) to the brink of madness when a new dancer threatens her role as prima ballerina.
    — Chaise Sanders, Country Living, 13 May 2022
  • The crew ventures to Vienna to investigate an acid attack on a rising American prima ballerina, and Smitty gets troubling intel.
    — Olivia McCormack, Washington Post, 11 Apr. 2023
  • Premiering in 2010, Black Swan starred Natalie Portman as a prima ballerina driven to self-destructive extremes by her ambition and pursuit of perfection.
    — Lester Fabian Brathwaite, EW.com, 14 Dec. 2022
  • Next year's diverse honorees include a former first lady, pilot, prima ballerina, composer and journalist.
    — Sarah Ewall-Wice, CBS News, 4 Apr. 2022
  • Next year’s diverse honorees include a former first lady, prima ballerina, journalist, composer, and pilot.
    — Essence, 20 Mar. 2020
  • Advertisement Egorova, a former prima ballerina recruited by an elite Russian intelligence branch, has to go lighter in order to seduce one particular male target.
    — Samantha Sasso, refinery29.com, 8 Mar. 2018
  • Standing center stage in her signature Dying Swan costume, prima ballerina Anna Pavlova evinced pure feminine elegance.
    — Nadine Daher, Smithsonian Magazine, 27 Feb. 2020
  • Her mother, Yolanda Dragos, was a prima ballerina originally from Romania.
    — BostonGlobe.com, 28 Aug. 2021

Some of these examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'prima ballerina.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

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