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Great Lives from History: Latinos, 2nd Edition

Evelyn Cisneros

by Shawncey Webb

American ballerina, educator, and activist

Cisneros was one of the first Latinas to become a prima ballerina with a major American company. She contributes significantly to the Hispanic community as a role model, encouraging young Hispanics to become involved in the arts, and as a social activist.

Latino heritage: Mexican

Born: November 18, 1958; Long Beach, California

Also known as: Evelyn Deanne Cisneros-Legate

Areas of achievement: Dance; education; social issues

EARLY LIFE

Evelyn Deanne Cisneros-Legate (sihs-NEH-rohs) was born in Long Beach, California, in 1958 and lived in Huntington Beach during her childhood. She has one brother. Her grandparents came to the United States from Mexico as migrant workers. Although her family was the only Hispanic family in the neighborhood, her parents placed great importance on their Mexican heritage. They attended a Spanish-speaking church and were involved in the Hispanic community, thus the Spanish language and Mexican culture were important parts of Cisneros's childhood.

As a child, Cisneros was extremely shy. In an effort to combat her daughter's shyness, Cisneros's mother enrolled her in dance classes when she was seven years old. Although she was the only Hispanic child in her class, the dancing lessons helped her overcome her shyness and soon she was participating in athletics at school. When she was thirteen years old, Cisneros decided that she wanted to study seriously to be a dancer. Preparing to become a ballet dancer, she took lessons at a studio in North Hollywood, which entailed a three-hour round trip five days a week during the school year. During the summers, she attended classes at the San Francisco Ballet School and the American School of Ballet. She was offered an apprenticeship with the San Francisco Ballet at the age of fifteen. Cisneros opted to accept the offer after finishing high school. On February 1, 1976, she began her career as an apprentice at the San Francisco Ballet.

LIFE'S WORK

Almost immediately, Cisneros got the opportunity to prove herself as a dancer and her value to the company. Two days after her arrival, one of the company's dancers was unable to perform because of an injury. Cisneros was asked to learn her role. With five hours of work, she mastered the dance and performed with the company. Michael Smuin, artistic director of the ballet company, immediately recognized her talent; Cisneros credits him for being instrumental to her development as a prima ballerina.

In 1977, Cisneros became a member of the San Francisco Ballet. During the twenty-three years that she danced there, Cisneros performed the leading role in classical ballets such as Swan Lake (1877), Sleeping Beauty (1889), and La Sylphide (1832). She also danced the lead role in ballets choreographed specifically for her by Smuin until his dismissal as artistic director in 1985. For a time the new artistic director, Helgi Tomasson, did not cast Cisneros in these roles, even though they had been created for her; however, Tomasson eventually recognized her exceptional talent and allowed her to dance lead roles.

In 1995, Cisneros began performing modern dance as well as ballet. She danced the lead role in Lambarena, a dance combining classical ballet and African dance choreographed especially for her by Val Caniparoli. She also worked with Mark Morris and appeared at the Jacob's Pillow Dance Festival. Throughout her career, she made many guest appearances including performances in Spain, Mexico, Cuba, and New Zealand.

In 1996, Cisneros married Stephen Legate, a principal dancer with the San Francisco ballet. Wishing to have a family and sensing that she was ready to leave, she retired from her position as prima ballerina with the San Francisco Ballet in May, 1999. She was honored with a gala performance and a documentary, Evelyn Cisneros: Moving On. However, Cisneros did not leave ballet. In 2000, she began teaching intensive summer courses for various ballet companies, including the Boston Ballet. In 2002, she became ballet education coordinator for San Francisco Ballet. She was artistic director for the fortieth anniversary performance of The Nutcracker (1892) by Ballet Pacifica. In 2004, with Scott Speck, she wrote Ballet for Dummies. In 2010, she accepted the position of principal of the Boston Ballet School's Marblehead Studio. She has two children, Ethan and Sophia.

Cisneros has received many honors for her accomplishments as a dancer and as a leader in the Hispanic community, including the annual Cultural Award of the Mexican American Legal Defense and Educational Fund (1985), a Cyril Magnin Award for outstanding achievement in the arts (1999), two Isadora Duncan Awards (1989, 2000), and honorary doctorates from Mills College and California State University at Monterey Bay. In 1992, she was named one of the One Hundred Most Influential Hispanics by Hispanic Business magazine.

SIGNIFICANCE

Cisneros has made and continues to make a significant impact on both ballet and the Hispanic community. As a performer, she created memorable roles, enchanted audiences, and contributed to the popularity of ballet with the general public and with Latinos specifically. After retiring, she has continued her affiliation with the San Francisco Ballet and other companies both as a guest teacher and as a liaison with the community in an effort to maintain and enhance the stature of ballet in the United States. In her efforts to promote ballet as an American art form, Cisneros particularly addresses the Hispanic community, encouraging Hispanic girls to dance.

Citation Types

Type

Format

MLA 9th

Webb, Shawncey. "Evelyn Cisneros." Great Lives from History: Latinos, 2nd Edition, edited by Trudy Mercadal, et al., Salem Press, 2021. Salem Online, online.salempress.com/articleDetails.do?articleName=GLLatin2e_0147.

APA 7th

Webb, S. (2021). Evelyn Cisneros. In T. Mercadal, C. Tafolla & M. P. Cotera (Eds.), Great Lives from History: Latinos, 2nd Edition. Salem Press. online.salempress.com.

CMOS 17th

Webb, Shawncey. "Evelyn Cisneros." Edited by Trudy Mercadal, Carmen Tafolla & Martha P. Cotera. Great Lives from History: Latinos, 2nd Edition. Hackensack: Salem Press, 2021. Accessed September 19, 2025. online.salempress.com.

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