She was known to friends by the nickname Choura. Alexandra was a Russian-American contemporary ballerina who entered the Imperial Ballet School in Petrograd in 1923 and graduated the school at the Maryinsky theater and later advanced as a soloist. She became a member of Diaghilev's Ballet Russe (1924-1929) along with Geva and Ballanchine and toured western europe and by 1927 was promoted to Ballerina. Danilova and Balanchine lived together in the U.S. as husband and wife, though they were never legally married (Balanchine was still officially married to another dancer, Tamara Geva).

   She became a prima ballerina of the Ballet Russe de Monte Carlo between 1938 and 1958. By March 12, 1946, in America she would dance the title role in the "Ballet Russe de Monte Carlo" at the New York City