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LEADING BALLET DANCER KILLED IN CAR CRASH

A leading dancer with the American Ballet Theatre was killed and her husband, a fellow member of the New York-based troupe, suffered a broken leg Sunday night in a 10-car pileup in New Jersey.

Jennifer Alexander, 35, a leading dancer, died at the crash scene on Route 3 in East Rutherford. Her husband, Julio Bragado-Young, was taken to Hackensack University Medical Center.

The couple and a third ABT dancer, Nicole Graniero, were returning with a dancer from the Martha Graham School after appearing in the Williamsport Civic Ballet’s annual performance of “The Nutcracker.”

A spokesman for the Bergen County Prosecutor’s Office said that the pileup was under investigation and that a person in another car was also killed.

“Jennifer was a well rounded and mature performer, who was a backbone of our company,” said Kelly Ryan, ABT spokeswoman said. “She possessed a particular radiance, both on stage and in life.

She said that Alexander and her husband had danced together.

This morning fellow dancers were still coming to terms with the loss, some were weeping in the hallway at the theatre’s headquarters on Broadway 19th Street.

“This is a very difficult time for us. It’s still very new. We are very much a family and it will be very difficult moving forward.

Alexander was born in Calgary Canada and she began studying ballet at the age of 5. From the age of 14, she studied at the royal Winnipeg Ballet and joined the company 13 years ago.

She moved to New York in 1993 and appeared in the Broadway production of

“The Red Shoes” and also performed the role of Louise in “Carousel” in 1994.

She joined the ABT as a member of the Corps de ballet in August 1994.

The American Ballet Theatre next performs the Nutcracker Suite on Dec. 18 at Kennedy Center in Washington DC.

The ABT had once been helmed by famed dancer Mikhail Baryshnikov, who resigned the post as artistic director in 1990.

With Post Wire Services