Toni Bentley (born 1958) is an Australian-American dancer and writer. Bentley was born in Perth, Australia. Her father, P. J. Bentley, is an Australian biologist and endocrinologist. Her brother, Dr. David Bentley, is a molecular biologist at the University of Denver, CO. She took her first ballet class at age four in Bristol, England and entered the School of American Ballet, the official school of New York City Ballet, at age ten. At age seventeen she joined George Balanchine's New York City Ballet where she performed for ten years under his tutelage. She retired from the stage at age of twenty-six due to a hip injury.