Meredith Baylis, former member of the Ballet Russe de Monte Carlo and acclaimed teacher at the Joffrey Ballet School in New York for 15 years, died July 26 of complications from heart surgery in L.A. She was 72.
Burbank, Calif., native studied dance in L.A. and N.Y., toured with the national company of "Carousel" after graduating high school and joined the Ballet Russe de Monte Carlo in 1951. She remained with the company until 1962, when it disbanded. After time off, she joined the Joffrey, where she organized dance classes for deaf children and directed a summer program for students from around the country. She left the Joffrey in 1984 to care for her father in L.A., had her own ballet school in Studio City from 1990 to 2000 and taught at other schools.
Baylis, whose great-aunt Lilian founded the Old Vic Theater in London, is survived by a brother.
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