How to Use prima ballerina in a Sentence

prima ballerina

noun
  • The prima ballerina was on a five-year hiatus from her role.
    — Charlotte Phillipp, PEOPLE, 1 Dec. 2025
  • My grandma was a prima ballerina, so my acting stems from her.
    — Krista Smith, Vanities, 11 Aug. 2017
  • What happens to that ballet when a new prima ballerina takes center stage?
    — Helen Branswell, STAT, 20 Sep. 2021
  • Bella chose to pull her hair back into a bun that's as tight as a prima ballerina's updo, leaving her face natural with an orangey-nude lip.
    — Seventeen, 25 Aug. 2022
  • But Washington’s elite social world can pivot faster than a prima ballerina.
    — Roxanne Roberts, Washington Post, 23 Nov. 2020
  • Each pirouette inspires the next prima ballerina.
    — Madeline Montgomery, CBS News, 10 Dec. 2025
  • While the police try to figure out what went down when Cassie did, the remaining dancers are more concerned with who will replace the prima ballerina.
    — Ruth Kinane, EW.com, 16 Dec. 2020
  • Jepsen voices the part of a former prima ballerina who teaches Félicie to dance and encourages her to follow her dreams.
    — EW.com, 21 May 2024
  • Best satin ballet flats Embrace your inner prima ballerina with satin ballet flats, which embody the grace of a pair of pointe shoes without all the blisters.
    — Nina Derwin, Glamour, 8 Jan. 2026
  • Irina Kolesnikova has a wealth of credits on her dance card, but the prima ballerina has made her career from one particular role of a lifetime.
    — Rachel King, Fortune, 22 Feb. 2020
  • For years, Kingston has played understudy to a prima ballerina named Hudson, about 30 miles to the north and across the river.
    — Nikita Richardson, New York Times, 13 June 2023
  • The blandly emotive choreography, seen in brief flashes is not worthy of a prima ballerina, much less an apprentice.
    — Gia Kourlas, New York Times, 27 Mar. 2020
  • Meanwhile the prima ballerina, meant for the role of Euridice, barely escapes death and Anastasia lands the star role.
    — Melanie Goodfellow, Deadline, 7 Feb. 2025
  • The model's dark hair was parted exactly in the center, then pulled up and back in a tight style reminiscent of the perfectly precise buns worn by prima ballerinas.
    — Kara Nesvig, Allure, 1 Sep. 2025
  • The prima ballerina became the company’s first Black principal dancer at 32 years old.
    — Madison E. Goldberg, PEOPLE, 23 Oct. 2025
  • The Oscar winner plays Dominika Egorova, a prima ballerina who dances to provide for her mother.
    — USA TODAY, 14 Sep. 2017
  • Cuba follows several storylines, including a young ballet student who pushes herself to the top of her class with dreams of becoming a prima ballerina.
    — Bryan Alexander, USA TODAY, 6 Sep. 2017
  • Monson de Kansky trained with the former Bolshoi Ballet prima ballerina for three years, until her father inquired about her future.
    — Los Angeles Times, 29 June 2026
  • Nina has no mentor to look up to; Beth, the former prima ballerina played by Winona Ryder, has been ruthlessly excised from the company for being too old.
    — Faith Hill, The Atlantic, 12 Jan. 2026
  • The ballet is also unusual because the prima ballerina, Alessandra Ferri, is in her 60s.
    — Hikmat Mohammed, WWD, 18 June 2024
  • Ahead of the gala, Winfrey posed for photos with prima ballerina Misty Copeland, who celebrated her final bow at the gala as a principal dancer with the company.
    — Julia Teti, Footwear News, 23 Oct. 2025
  • Natalie starred as prima ballerina Nina Sayers while Benjamin was hired to choreograph the iconic ballet sequences for the film.
    — Adrianna Freedman, Good Housekeeping, 9 July 2022
  • The Malaysian actor decides not go to England to study dance, with every intention of becoming a prima ballerina one day, and avoids suffering a back injury that forces her to abandon her dream.
    — David Fear, Rolling Stone, 7 Apr. 2022
  • David Parham smokes salmon with a passion and perfectionism more often associated with prima ballerinas or Japanese ceramists.
    — Sarah Moss, Travel + Leisure, 11 Jan. 2026
  • Maria Tallchief, born in Oklahoma in 1925, was America's first prima ballerina.
    — Sarah Ewall-Wice, CBS News, 4 Apr. 2022
  • Now, nine years later, the Italian dancer—one of the very few awarded the title of prima ballerina assoluta—has agreed to dance the role McGregor created for her once more.
    — Freya Drohan, Vogue, 24 June 2024
  • Obsession drives a dedicated ballerina (Natalie Portman) to the brink of madness when a new dancer threatens her role as prima ballerina.
    — Chaise Sanders, Country Living, 13 May 2022
  • Maria Tallchief, who broke barriers as a Native American dancer, is regarded as the first American prima ballerina.
    — Harmeet Kaur, CNN, 4 Apr. 2022
  • The New Orleans native and first Black prima ballerina at the Metropolitan Opera was a pioneer of modern dance.
    — Tonya Blazio-Licorish, Footwear News, 8 Feb. 2026
  • The company’s aim was to parody traditional classical ballet works and famous prima ballerina roles with professional male ballet dancers costumed in drag, playing all the male and female roles and dancing on pointe.
    — Pam Kragen, San Diego Union-Tribune, 28 Jan. 2024

Some of these examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'prima ballerina.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

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