Balanchine by Krysten 2

George Balanchine

Krysten Necessary

Dance History18 March 2009

Early Childhood

•Born Gyorgy Melitonovich Balanchivadze on January 22nd 1904 in St. Petersburg (moved to the countryside shortly thereafter)

•His father was a composer and his mother was a pianist

•His first stage appearance occurred when he was a toddler and was lost in a park; he was horrified

•He went to St. Petersburg to apply for the Naval Academy but ended up auditioning for the Imperial Theater School and got accepted in

The Imperial Theater School

•At first felt ballet technique was against nature

•His uniform was his favorite aspect of the school

•The school was shut down briefly after the revolution

•The theater became the State Theater for Opera and Ballet

•Balanchine graduated in 1921 with honors

Maryinsky Theater

•Performed in other choreographers’ works

•When it came to his own choreography, he wanted to explore freer movements

•First choreographed piece was a romantic duet which was criticized for being a “scandal of eroticism”

•Founded the Young Ballet

•Went on a European tour as part of the Soviet State Dancers

Ballet Russe

•Had to audition with Diaghilev to attain position

•Became company choreographer shortly after joining

•At first had to write operas

•First full length ballet was Le Chant du Rossignol

•After Diaghilev’s death in 1929, the Ballet Russe fell apart

•Shortly after, a knee injury ended his dancing career

NYC Ballet•Balanchine met Lincoln Kirstein at a performance of his Les Ballets in London

•Kirstein asked him to join him in opening a company of American dancers

•“But first, a school” (Balanchine)

•School of American Ballet

•Dismantled for a while

•Hollywood

•Tour of South American

•Ballet Russe de Monte Carlo

•Ballet Society

•New York City Ballet

Balanchine Dancer

•Elegance

•Energy

•Precision

•Cleanliness

•Simplicity

•Thin

•Long arms and legs

Balanchine Costume

•“ [Balanchine] has not been troubled with hour to dress dancers, but how to undress them with elegance, so their nudity is most intelligible” (Kirstein)

•Less restricting

•Sometimes barefoot

•Leotard dances

Balanchine Ballet

•Highly stylized

•Plot less

•Neoclassical

•Abstract

•“There is nothing abstract about a man and a woman on stage together” (Balanchine)