Alessandra Ferri, described by the New York Times as "one of the greatest dramatic dancers of all time", was born in Milan in 1963. She initially trained at the Scuola del Teatro alla Scala and transferred to the Royal Ballet School in London at the age of 15, where she completed her last two years of training.
She joined the Royal Ballet at the age of 17 and was appointed Principal Dancer at the age of 19. Sir Kenneth MacMillan immediately entrusted her with his most important ballets and created several works for her - including Valley of Shadows, for which she received her first Laurence Olivier Award at the age of just 21. She also worked with Sir Frederick Ashton and Dame Ninette de Valois at the Royal Ballet.