Irina Baronova was born into a privileged family, whose world was changed forever by the Bolsheviks. They fled Russia to poverty in Bucharest, but Irina's mother was determined that her daughter learn ballet. Her first lessons were taken with the kitchen table as a barre.
Her family struggled to take Irina to Paris, where she made her debut, aged eleven, with the Paris Opera. Spotted by legendary choreographer George Balanchine, she joined the Ballet Russe de Monte Carlo. She quickly rose to fame as one of the three 'Baby Ballerinas' and toured the world. Irina worked with a dazzling array of great names: Fokine, Massine, Nijinska, Balanchine, Stravinsky, Picasso, Chagall, Matisse, Miro and Dali.
Later Irina starred in films, danced with American Ballet Theatre and appeared in plays. But when she met Cecil Tennant, theatrical agent to stars such as Vivien Leigh and Laurence Olivier, Irina had to choose between the limelight and life as a wife and mother . . .
