By the time of George Balanchine's untimely passing on April 30th,
             1983, this 20th century master of choreography in ballet had created more
             than 400 works. His name is celebrated in the art world, much as Picasso
             or Stravinsky. Balanchine was arguably the most influential person in
             ballet, 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, was
             exposed to music at any early age, not often experienced by any other
             composer. At the age of five, Balanchine began to take piano lessons, and
             at nine years old, "he was accepted into the ballet section of St.
             Petersburg's rigorous Imperial Theater School, and, with other young
             students, was soon appearing on the stage of the famed Maryinsky Theater in
             such spectacles as The Sleeping Beauty." ("George Balanchine, 1904-1983")
             While dancing, the multitalented Balanchine enrolled in the Petrograd
             Conservatory of Music, where for three years, he studied piano, music
             theory, composition, harmony, and counterpoint. ("SAB Biography")
             During the Russian Revolution, Balanchine oftentimes played the piano
             in cabarets or at silent movie houses for bread. It was this broad musical
             schooling that allowed Balanchine, as a choreographer, to communicate so
             effectively with the composers he worked with. In addition, he utilized
             this training to make piano reduction of orchestral scores, which helped
             him in translating music to dance. ("George Balanchine, 1904-1983")
             As a teenager, Balanchine began to work on choreography. His first
             piece, La Nuit, a pas de deux, was set to the music of Anton Rubinstein,
             and was created for himself and a female student. He staged one work for
             the Corps de Ballet entitled Enigmas, however he was more focused on
             choreographic experiments outside...