She joined George Balanchine's School of American Ballet at age 14. At 18, she became his company's youngest-ever principal dancer. Over the years, she debuted many roles and partnered with leading male dancers of the era, including Edward Villella.
She retired from the New York City Ballet in 1989. She and her husband, dancer Jean-Pierre Bonnefous, turned to teaching, first at Indiana University and then, since 1996, running the Charlotte Ballet (North Carolina).