Claire Motte and Serge Lifar in a rehearsal of Phedre, at the Parisian Opera, in 1977. Serge Lifar (1905-1986) was the living symbol of the French dance during half a century. Born in Kiev in Ukraine, Lifar was discovered by Nijinski's sister, who made him come to France. In 1929, he joined the Parisian Opera, became the first star ballet dancer, and finally the supervisor of the Ballet, till 1945. At the end of WW II, he had to disappear for a while, but came back in 1947 as the first choreographer, till 1958. After that, he devoted himself to the choreography and worked for several ballets as well as for the Parisian Opera. He was a theorist of ballet dancing too, he wrote many studies and biographies, and his influence will remain strong for a long time, thanks to the quality of his creations, which are often put on again in Paris, always with the same success.