David Blair

British ballet dancer who created many brilliant roles during his career, including "Pineapple Poll" and "Trumpet Concerto." Young David Butterfield first became interested in dancing while watching his sister’s ballet class, and at age 14, he won a scholarship to attend the Sadler’s Wells Ballet School. He was given growth-inducing hormone injections to increase his height, but even after he grew taller, he was still seen primarily as a character dancer. At age 17, he changed his name to David Blair. Down to earth and filled with confidence in his own ability, Blair was determined to dance the classical roles, and coached by the great Anton Dolin, he made his debut in "Casse-Noisette." He became the leading dancer for the company before moving to Covent Garden in 1953. Although he was positioned to become the company’s leading man when Michael Somes retired, his career path changed with Nureyev’s arrival on the scene. As a result, he gave up his dancing career sooner than anticipated and began producing the classics. Blair was romantically involved with another of the company’s dancers, Maryon Lane. They married and had twin daughters. While preparing for an appointment as director of the Norwegian Ballet, Blair died suddenly on 4/01/1976. Link to Wikipedia biography