Dancer, actor, and choreographer Carmen de Lavallade died December 29 in Englewood, New Jersey after a brief illness. The news was confirmed by her son, Léo Holder, to The New York Times. She was 94 years old.

Ms. de Lavallade was a highly accomplished ballerina, from a talented family. Her cousin, Janet Collins, was the first prima ballerina of Creole/African descendant at the Metropolitan Opera. At the age of 16, Ms. de Lavallade began study with dance teacher Melissa Blake, later achieving a scholarship to study dance with Dance Theater of Los Angeles founder Lester Horton.

In 1949, Ms. de Lavallade became a member of the Lester Horton Dance Theater, performing as a lead dancer until she split from the company to dance with Alvin Ailey in 1954. Alongside Ailey, Ms. de Lavallade made her Broadway debut in Truman Capote's musical House of Flowers, with Ms. de Lavallade and Ailey partnered in a series of star-making dance scenes.

In 1955, Ms. de Lavallade married one of her House of Flowers costars, Geoffrey Holder. The pair would soon become one of the most powerful power couples in the dance industry. Ms. de Lavallade choreographed her signature solo "Come Sunday" for Holder, interpreting the black spiritual as performed by Odetta.

In 1956, Ms. de Lavallade danced the prima ballerina in Samson and Delilah and Aida at the Metropolitan Opera, following in her cousin's footsteps. Ms. de Lavallade remained heavily associated with Ailey, serving as the principal guest performer for the Alvin Ailey Dance Company tour of Asia. In some countries, the company was even billed as the de Lavallade-Ailey American Dance Company.