Alfa Liepa was born in Lithuania and received his dance education at the Lithuanian Opera Ballet School and the Kassel Opera School in Germany. Before dancing with the Royal Winnipeg Ballet as a Principal during the 1956-1957 season, Alfa danced with the Lithuanian Ballet Company, Concert Tours of Germany, Kassel Opera Company, Kansas City Summer Theatre and the Agnes de Mille Dance Company. By 1959, he was teaching at the Pittsburgh Ballet Company and in 1968 founded the Ballet Arts Studio in Miami.

Antony Tudor was born William Cook on April 4, 1908 in London, England and did not begin his dance training until the age of nineteen, when he was tutored by Marie Rambert. He danced and choreographed for the Ballet Club, which later became Ballet Rambert, from 1930 to 1938. His first choreographic work was Cross garter’d in 1931. During this time, he also danced with the Victoria Wells Ballet, now the Royal Ballet, for two years. He left Ballet Rambert in 1938 to found the London Ballet.
One year later he joined the newly formed American Ballet Theatre and remained as a choreographer and dancer there until he became the director of the Ballet Theatre and Metropolitan Opera Ballet School in 1950. He was one of the original Faculty members at the Juilliard School of Music Dance Department and was also the Professor of Ballet Technique for the Department of Dance, at the University of California in 1963. From 1963 to 1964, he was the artistic director of the Royal Swedish Ballet. He rejoined the American Ballet Theatre in 1974 as associate artistic director. Antony was made Choreographer Emeritus of the American Ballet Theatre in 1980.
The Royal Winnipeg Ballet has performed some of Antony Tudor’s works, including Lilac Garden, The Leaves Are Fading, and Dark Elegies. Antony Tudor passed away April 19, 1987 in New York City, New York.

Ástor Pantaleón Piazzolla was born March 11, 1921, in Mar del Plata in Argentina, but grew up in New York. He received as second-hand bandoneon at the age of ten and began to play tangos. In 1932, he composed his first tango, "La Catinga". He moved to Buenos Aires in 1938 and joined Anibal Troilo’s orchestra the following year. He began to study classical music and wrote his first classical piece, Preludio No. 1 for Violin and Piano and Suite for Strings and Harps, in 1938. He later joined the orchestra of Francisco Fiorentino before forming his own orchestra, Orquesta Típica, in 1946. He disbanded the orchestra in 1950 and began to focus solely on studying and writing music. In 1955, he started the Orquesta de Cuerdas and the Octeto in Buenos Aires, which he again disbanded before moving to New York in 1958. Other orchestras he founded include the 1960 "First Quintet", the 1971 Conjunto 9 ("Noneto"), the 1978 "Second Quintet" and the 1989 New Tango Sextet. As well as providing original compositions and arrangements, he was the director and bandoneon player in all of them. His music is used for the Five Tangos ballet premiered by the Royal Winnipeg Ballet in 1980. Ástor Piazzola passed away in Buenos Aires July 4, 1992.

Bill McGrath was born in Cumberland, Vancouver Island, British Columbia. He began his dance training with Wynne Shaw in Victoria. He joined the Winnipeg Ballet in 1951 as a Principal Dancer. During the summer months, he would return to British Columbia and perform in Vancouver’s Theatre Under the Stars. During the summer of 1954, he and Shelagh Henderson opened a ballet school in Burnaby, British Columbia. He moved to Toronto in 1957 to perform on television with The Shirley Harmer Show. He continued to appear on television in London, England as part of the The Carlu Carter Trio. He moved to Australia in 1961, where he continued to perform as well as teach. Bill McGrath passed away in March 1994 in New South Wales, Australia.

Caroline Gruber was born May 29, 1963 in New York City, but was raised in London, England. She began her dance training at the Royal Ballet School in London at the age of eight, where she spent nine years. She made her professional debut with the Dutch National Ballet in September of 1980, where she danced for six years. She joined the Royal Winnipeg Ballet in 1988 as a second soloist and was promoted to first soloist the following year. Caroline retired from dancing in May of 2000. Since 2007 she has been teaching, coaching and setting repertoire in the Professional and Recreational Division of the RWB School. She also works extensively with the Royal Winnipeg Ballet Company, mainly assisting in the staging of classical repertoire such as Nutcracker and Swan Lake.

Christine Hennessy was born in Providence, Rhode Island in 1936. She won a scholarship with Maria Swoboda in New York at the age of fourteen. One year later, she joined the Ballet Russe de Monte Carlo, where she danced for five years. She then danced with the Breman Opera Ballet for a year before joining the American Festival Ballet as a Principal Dancer. Four years later, she rejoined the Ballet Russe de Monte Carlo for three more years and did guest performances before joining the Royal Winnipeg Ballet as a Principal Dancer in 1966. In 1968, she won the Gold Medal for “best female interpretation” at the International Festival of the Dance in Paris. Christine Hennessy left the Royal Winnipeg Ballet in 1972 and retired from dance shortly afterwards to raise a family. She taught in Toronto at the Lois Smith Dance School before co-founding the Festival Ballet of Rhode Island and started training both professional and recreational dancers. In 1994, Rhode Island College awarded Christine an honorary doctorate in fine arts. Christine Hennessy passed away on April 12, 1997.

Ethel Constance Officer was born May 16, 1890 and began her role as wardrobe director for the Royal Winnipeg Ballet in 1943. She was always known as “Sindie” after the last name of her first husband, Sinden. She also designed the costumes for Nutcracker Pas de Deux in 1957, Recurrence in 1961, Pas de Dix in 1962, Coppelia Pas de Deux in 1964, Flower Festival in Genzano Pas de Deux, and The Still Point in 1966. She retired in 1966, but still remained as an advisor for several years afterward. She received a Manitoba Centennial Medal in 1970 for her service in the Royal Winnipeg Ballet. Constance Officer passed away March 22, 1979 in Vancouver, BC.

David Peregrine was born David Evans on September 19, 1954 in Llay, Wales. He began his dance training at the age of fifteen with Nesta Toumine in Ottawa, Ontario. He received scholarships at the Banff School of Fine Arts and the Royal Winnipeg Ballet School Professional Division. He made his professional debut in June of 1972 and performed with the National Arts Centre in Ottawa and at Rainbow Stage in Winnipeg before joining the Royal Winnipeg Ballet as a member of the corps de ballet in 1975. He was promoted to soloist in 1978 and became a Principal Dancer in 1980, the same year he won a Bronze Medal at the World Ballet Concours in Japan and the International Ballet Competition in Varna, Bulgaria. He performed internationally as a guest artist, including a five month term at the San Francisco Ballet in 1984. He was made an Officer of the Order of Canada in 1986. Beginning in 1982, he also acted in several Manitoba Theatre Centre Performances, including Nicholas Nickleby and Frankenstein: Playing With Fire. David Peregrine was killed in a plane crash with his brother Meirig in June of 1989. A Scholarship for a first year student at the Royal Winnipeg Ballet School Professional Division has been established in his memory.

Dimitri Chutro was born on October 12, 1912 in Molodovichi Ukraine. Although he was originally studying music, he decided to enroll in the Semen Orloff Ballet School instead. He made his professional debut with the Moscow Opera while still a student. During the Russian Revolution he left Moscow and ended up in Constantinople performing with a ballet group that specialized in Caucasian Native Dances. From 1928 to 1930, he was an instructor with the Mordkin School of Ballet in Philadelphia and began performing as a guest artist around the world. He was also a Ballet Master for the Florentine Grand Opera Company in 1932. He moved to the United States and established the Ukrainian Art Theatre in Philadelphia and New York City. The Royal Winnipeg Ballet performed the world premiere of Excerpts from Legin with the Russalka Ukrainian Dance Ensemble for a Ukrainian Gala Concert in 1977. His work had previously appeared in Winnipeg thirty years earlier with a performance from Ballet Ukraine. Dimitri Chutro wrote a total of twelve original ballets as well as produced and directed six operas before he passed away on February 1, 1982 in Miami, Florida.

Doreen Gladys Macdonald was born in Winnipeg, Manitoba. She began her dance training at the age of nine in Winnipeg, and was performing in nightclub acts at the age of fourteen. She later taught dance at the Arthur Scott Studios. In 1958, she accepted the position of seamstress at the Royal Winnipeg Ballet. She was promoted to Director of Wardrobe eight years later. She has also designed costumes for various Royal Winnipeg Ballet productions, including Paquita, Rigodon, Sundances, Tchaikovsky Pas de Deux, A Ballet High, Canto Indio, Donizettiana, Etude Printemps, Journey, Lento a Tempo E Appassionato, and Moments. Doreen retired from the Royal Winnipeg Ballet in 1988, but volunteered at the RWB in the Development Department from 1989 to 1994. She also served on the Royal Winnipeg Ballet Alumni Executive. Doreen Macdonald passed away February 2, 1995 in Winnipeg, Manitoba at the age of seventy-three. A Scholarship Fund has been created in her name at the Royal Winnipeg Ballet.