George Balanchines Influence on Ballet in America
George Balanchine was born in 1904 in St. Petersburg, Russia. Hebegan his training in ballet at the age of nine at the St. PetersburgImperial Theater School, and by 1921, he had graduated with honors and wasappearing the State Theater of Opera and Ballet. His father was acomposer, so Balanchine was always surrounded by music and dance fromchildhood. One biographer notes, "Highly regarded by both orchestralinstrumentalists and conductors as one of the most musical choreographersof our time, Balanchine was the son of a composer" (Teck 15). In additionto his dancing, Balanchine also played piano, and attended the PetrogradConservatory of Music, where he learned composition and other composingtechniques. He composed music before he began choreography, and thisbackground aided his endeavors. His official biography notes, "Suchextensive musical training made it possible for Balanchine as achoreographer to communicate with a composer of the stature of Stravinsky;it also gave him the ability to make piano reductions of orchestral scores,an invaluable aid in translating music into dance" (Editors). Balanchineleft Russia for a tour in 1924, and never returned. He spent time in
In 1941, Richard Pleasant foundedBallet Theatre in New York, which evolved into the American Ballet Theatre(ABT). In 1927, noballet company existed in America. These dancers brought a heightened awareness ofballet to American audiences, and the art continued to gain in popularityafter the Public Broadcasting System (PBS) began broadcasting the "Dance inAmerica" program in 1976. Teck continues, Balanchine was able to strip ballet of its previous dependence on grand costumes, scenery, pantomime, and elaborate plots. When Balanchine arrived in America in 1933, there were alreadyperforming companies in Atlanta and San Francisco, and more companies grewup in the 1930s and 40s in Philadelphia, New York, and other communities. By 1948,this small company evolved into the New York Ballet, and Balanchine hadfinally found a permanent outlet for his creative talents. Balanchine's work became world-renowned and he iscontinually recognized as one of the foremost choreographers to ever workin ballet. A tremendous part of his artistry lay in his understanding andfeeling for the structure and styles of classical music" (Teck 15). American arts patron Lincoln Kirstein, who hopedto establish a memorable American ballet company, recruited him. Balanchine's influence covered the ballet world inAmerica, and helped create and continue interest in this dance form. Balanchine's work was so memorable because he highlighted the dancersin his ballets, rather than the opulent staging and costumes so common inearlier classical dances. Balanchine's work is distinctly American, even though he commonly usescomposers such as Tchaikovsky's and Stravinsky's works. In 1935, Balanchine and Kerstein created their first ballet company,the American Ballet. A reviewer notes, "'Theme' turned out to be one of Balanchine's mostcogent tributes to his Russian heritage, a gloss that is streamlined andspeeded up in the best Balanchinean-American manner, and it enhanced thereputation of the choreographer, who was without a permanent company at thetime" (Hunt 70). This was the small beginning of aballet movement in America that still exists today.
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