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George Balanchine was the most prolific and influential Ballet choreographer of the twentieth century. With fixed purpose and assurance, he was one of the great poets of dance. Born in 1904 in St. Petersburg, he was accepted at the age of ten into the Imperial Theater School, then entered the corps de ballet at the State Theater. Enrolled at the Petrograd Conservatory, he received one of the best musical educations of any choreographer. Known for his musicality, he made the movements seem inevitable; and when you listen to any music in which he set choreography, you know there are no choices but the choices he made. His belief and trust in music and classical ballet were absolute, assuring that classical ballet would continue for generations. In his words, “See the music, hear the dance.”
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Serenade was the first ballet created by Balanchine in America, where a gauche young arts patron named Lincoln Kirstein lured him in 1933 with the promise of a new company and school. In America, a land without much native ballet tradition, Balanchine assembled dancers with varying degrees of training. By building and keeping his company in good repair, he safeguarded the art he loved. Stressing dancers abilities and concealing their deficiencies, that today when we see those works we feel no limitation or absence, no ego trip, no self-promotions, only what we ought and should see – what we need.
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The great institutions that were a result of this genius were The School of American Ballet, and The New York City Ballet. During his life Balanchine created over three hundred works for Ballet, Opera and Theater. Concerto Barocoo, Jewels, Raymonda Variations, Apollo, with his own versions of Swan Lake and Nutcracker are considered major ballet contributions, transforming the art of dance. Along with Stravinsky, Picasso and Joyce, he is a major artist of the twentieth century. His achievement is a critical contribution to our civilization.
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The dance world will be honoring this innovative artist all year. It has been twenty years since he died, and his ballets are performed more widely than ever. New York City Ballet begins it two-season tribute at The New York State Theater, with exhibitions, panels, films and performances. If you can’t get to New York you can obtain videos of his most popular ballets. |
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