| Adeline Genee is a name that is not familiar with | | | | in Copenhagen and London where she was made |
| most of the general public, but in her time she was | | | | principal ballerina with The Royal Opera House. In |
| well known and celebrated in England as a great ballet | | | | 1896 she danced with the Berlin Court Opera Ballet |
| dancer. She was a Danish girl and at the age of 15 | | | | and the Munich Opera Ballet. A year later she |
| already a veteran of five years on the stage. | | | | accepted a six week booking in England and ended |
| She was born Anina Kirstina Margarete Petra Jensen | | | | up staying ten years. She married Frank Isitt in 1910 |
| in Arhus, Denmark She took ballet dancing lessons | | | | and started to cut down on her ballet dancing career. |
| with her uncle Alexandre Genee from the age of | | | | She retired in 1914, but not before taking her own |
| three. When she was eight years old, Alexandre and | | | | company to America, and then touring Australia and |
| his wife Antonia adopted her. She changed her name | | | | New Zealand. |
| to Adeline in honour of the Italian opera star Adelina | | | | Once she retired, she still did various charity |
| Patti. Adeline Genee made here debut with her uncle's | | | | performances. Her best loved role was that of |
| touring company when she was ten in Oslo. | | | | Swanhilda in Coppelia and she is still remembered for |
| She danced at the Zentralhallen Theatre at Stettin | | | | the gravity defying lightness of her ballet dancing. She |
| and at the age of seventeen appeared at the | | | | was known to 'positively bounce,' as if the ground |
| Imperial Opera in Berlin. She then moved on to dance | | | | was too hot for her to stay on. |