Ballerina. A child prodigy, she shall probably be best-remembered for her long career at the New York City Ballet. Born Nelly Armande Guillerm, she was raised in northern France, began study at eight, in 1945 moved to Paris where she made her professional bow and soon joined Petit's Ballets des Champs-Elysses, and in 1949 landed her big break when she was chosen to star in Ludwig Berger's film "Ballerina". Shortly thereafter, she took the stage name Violette Verdy and began appearing throughout Europe; she appeared at La Scala Milano as well as with London's Ballet Rembert, in 1953 created the lead role in Petit's "Le Loup" and in 1954 toured America with the London Festival Ballet. Nelly joined George Balanchine's New York City Ballet and proved a perfect fit for the company, dancing about 150 roles, some of them world premieres. Among her more noted efforts were "Emeralds", "A Midsummer Night's Dream", and the "Tchaikovsky Pas de Deux", while at the Metropolitan Opera as a guest of various companies she earned acclaim in such standards as "Giselle", "Swan Lake", "The Sleeping Beauty", and "La Sylphide". Choreographer Jerome Robins was to star her in two pieces for City Ballet, the 1969 "Dances at a Gathering" and 1970's "Into the Night", with both works set to the piano music of Frederic Chopin. Nelly retired in 1977 and became Director of the Paris Opera Ballet, then later took over the Boston Ballet, though by her own estimation she was not very good at the administrative side of the business. In later years, she was to teach the world-over while serving as Professor at Indiana University's distinguised Jacobs School of Music, a position she held until her death. The subject of two biographies and the recipient of multiple awards and honorary doctorates, her native land bestowed her the Order of Arts and Letters in 1973 and in 2008 designated her as Chevalier of the Legion of Honor.