Pamela May, 88; Dancer Was Original Member of Britain’s Royal Ballet

Pamela May, 88, a leading ballerina in the history of Britain’s Royal Ballet, died June 6 in England, the company announced. The cause of death was not reported.

Born Doris May in Trinidad in 1917, she joined the Sadler’s Wells Ballet School in 1933 and the Vic-Wells Ballet in 1934. The Royal Ballet came into being from those companies in the mid-1950s. Her versatility led her to dance many principal roles, including Swanilda in “Coppelia” and the young Princess Aurora in “The Sleeping Beauty.”

She attracted top-notch choreographers, including Dame Ninette De Valois and Sir Frederick Ashton, who created several roles for her. May taught at the Royal Ballet from 1954 to 1977 and at the Royal Academy of Dance. She became a vice president of the academy in 1981.