The Life and Legacy of George Balanchine
By the time of George Balanchine's untimely passing on April 30th,1983, this 20th century master of choreography in ballet had created morethan 400 works. His name is celebrated in the art world, much as Picassoor Stravinsky. Balanchine was arguably the most influential person inballet, and his legacy continues to benefit the world of ballet long after George Balanchine was born Georgi Melitonovitch Balanchivadze in St.Petersburg, Russia. He was born the son of a composer, and as such, wasexposed to music at any early age, not often experienced by any othercomposer. At the age of five, Balanchine began to take piano lessons, andat nine years old, "he was accepted into the ballet section of St.Petersburg's rigorous Imperial Theater School, and, with other youngstudents, was soon appearing on the stage of the famed Maryinsky Theater insuch spectacles as The Sleeping Beauty." ("George Balanchine, 1904-1983")While dancing, the multitalented Balanchine enrolled in the PetrogradConservatory of Music, where for three years, he studied piano, musictheory, composition, harmony, and counterpoint. ("SAB Biography") During the Russian Revolution, Balanchine oftentimes played the
In 1975,Balanchine was inducted in the Entertainment Hall of Fame, the firstchoreographer ever to receive such an honor. It was this broad musicalschooling that allowed Balanchine, as a choreographer, to communicate soeffectively with the composers he worked with. News and World Report is quoted as summarizing Balanchine'sachievements as, "The greatest choreographer of our time, George Balanchineis responsible for the successful fusion of modern concepts with olderideas of classical ballet. Still in operation today, the School trains dancers for theprestigious New York City Ballet, as well as other companies around theglobe. One of Balanchine's lasting legacies, is the George BalanchineFoundation. The result was a series of dialogues perfectly complementary to and coordinated with the dialogues of the music. Despite thecancellation of a tour, the troupe became the resident ballet company atthe Metropolitan Opera. " ("George Balanchine, 1904-1983") In 1938, the American Ballet ended their association with the Met,and Balanchine, along with several of his dancer ventured off to Hollywood. Hisreworking of Stravinsky's Le Chant du Rossignol closely followed this. "("SAB Biography") He envisioned a company that was composed of Americandancers that would not be dependent on repertory from Europe. Then fatefully, in the summerof 1924, Balanchine and three other dancers were permitted to leave thenewly formed Soviet Union for a tour of Western Europe. ("George Balanchine, 1904-1983")In addition, he staged many of his works for television, and created newworks as well for the medium where millions of people were able to enjoythe talents of the New York City Ballet. This unique project now encompasses over "nine hours of visualdiscussion of Balanchine's interpretations of classical ballet techniquethat are not only educational but also protect the high standardsBalanchine himself set for his dancers.
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