Biography
Born in St. Petersburg, Russia, George Balanchine (1904–1983) is regarded as the foremost contemporary choreographer in the world of ballet. He came to the United States in late 1933 at the age of 29, accepting the invitation of the young American arts patron Lincoln Kirstein (1907–96), whose great passions included the dream of creating a ballet company in America. At Balanchine’s behest, Kirstein was also prepared to support the formation of an American academy of ballet that would eventually rival the long-established schools of Europe.
This was the School of American Ballet, founded in 1934, the first product of the Balanchine–Kirstein collaboration. Several ballet companies directed by the two were created and dissolved in the years that followed, while Balanchine found other outlets for his choreography. Eventually, with a performance on October 11, 1948, the New York City Ballet was born. Balanchine served as its ballet master and principal choreographer from 1948 until his death in 1983.
Balanchine’s more than 400 dance works include Serenade (1934); Concerto Barocco (1941); Le Palais de Cristal, later renamed Symphony in C (1947); Orpheus (1948); The Nutcracker (1954); Agon (1957); Symphony in Three Movements (1972); Stravinsky Violin Concerto (1972); Vienna Waltzes (1977); Ballo della Regina (1978); and Mozartiana (1981). His final ballet, a new version of Stravinsky’s Variations for Orchestra, was created in 1982.
He also choreographed for films, operas, revues and musicals. Among his best-known dances for the stage is Slaughter on Tenth Avenue, originally created for Broadway’s On Your Toes (1936). The musical was later made into a movie.
A major artistic figure of the 20th century, Balanchine revolutionized the look of classical ballet. Taking classicism as his base, he heightened, quickened, expanded, streamlined and even inverted the fundamentals of the 400-year-old language of academic dance. This had an inestimable influence on the growth of dance in America. Although at first his style seemed particularly suited to the energy and speed of American dancers, especially those he trained, his ballets are now performed by all the major classical ballet companies throughout the world.
10 Things You Should Know
1. Affectionately known as “Mr. B.”
2. Was Artistic Director of New York City Ballet for 35 years. He co-founded New York City Ballet in 1948 with Lincoln Kirstein and served as the ballet master and principal choreographer until his death.
3. Made his on-stage debut when he was just ten. Balanchine appeared as the cupid in the Mariisnky Theatre Ballet Company production of The Sleeping Beauty.
4. Directed 10 ballets for Boston Ballet between 1963 and 1973. These included Apollo (1965), and Scotch Symphony (1965). Balanchine also served as Boston Ballet’s artistic advisor for several years.
5. Has a crater on Mercury named after him. Acquired by NASA on June 29, 2011, the crater radiates blue-colored rays that are similar in hue to the tutus in Serenade.
6. Created an estimated 465 works in his lifetime.
7. Recipient of the Presidential Medal of Freedom. Balanchine was one of five recipients to receive this award in 1983 from President Ronald Reagan, who praised Balanchine for “lifting our spirits and broadening our horizons through his talent and art.”
8. Credited with inventing the “neoclassical style.” He combined classical technique with explosive movements and energizing turns. His choreography was graceful yet full of speed and athletic prowess, stretching the boundaries of ballet.
9. Studied piano at the same conservatory as Tchaikovsky. As a pianist and the son of a well-known Georgian composer, Balanchine had a keen understanding of music theory and composition. He believed dance should showcase the music, rather than the other way around. He was often quoted as saying “See the music, hear the dance.”
10. Choreographed a ballet for 50 elephants. Balanchine was commissioned by the Ringling Bros., Barnum & Bailey Circus to create Circus Polka (1942), a ballet that featured 50 elephants and 50 ballerinas dancing to music by Igor Stravinsky.
Timeline of George Balanchine’s Life
1904: Born in St. Petersburg, Russia.
1913: Begins studies at the Imperial Theater School.
1920: Choreographs his first piece, a duet entitled La Nuit. Enters the St. Petersburg Conservatory of Music.
1925: Joins Sergei Diaghilev’s Ballets Russes in Paris and becomes his principal choreographer. Balanchine also meets Igor Stravinsky, who will become a life-long friend and collaborator.
1933: Boston-born dance connoisseur Lincoln Kirstein persuades Balanchine to relocate to the United States.
1934: Kirstein and Balanchine establish the School of American Ballet. Soon after, they set up a touring company of dancers from the school and call it the American Ballet.
1948: Balanchine co-founds New York City Ballet (NYCB) with Kirstein. Balanchine will serve as NYCB’s ballet master and principal choreographer until his death.
1964: The Ford Foundation grants almost $8 million to the New York City Ballet. The company moves to its home at Lincoln Center.
1972: Balanchine stages NYCB’s first festival, an intensive one-week celebration of the music of Igor Stravinsky.
1975: Balanchine receives the French Légion d’honneur, as well as an award for Distinguished Service to the Arts from the National Institute of Arts and Letters. That same year, he is inducted into the Entertainment Hall of Fame in Hollywood.
1978: Balanchine is one of five recipients of the first Kennedy Center Honors, presented by President Carter at the White House.
1983: Awarded with the Presidential Medal of Freedom.
1983: Dies at age 79.
1988: Inducted into the American Theater Hall of Fame.
2011: Brett Denevi, a geophysicist and amateur ballet dancer, leads the charge to name a crater on Mercury after Balanchine. The crater, acquired by NASA on June 29, 2011, radiates blue-colored rays that are similar in hue to the tutus in George Balanchine’s Serenade.
BB Connection Timeline
1963: Boston Ballet School receives a Ford Foundation grant of $144,000, establishing it as Boston’s first and only professional ballet company. Balanchine serves as the artistic advisor for several years to follow.
1963–1973: Balanchine directs Boston Ballet in 10 of his works over a span 10 years.
1964: Boston Ballet makes its first professional engagement as The Boston Ballet (formerly New England Civic Ballet) on Monday, June 29, 1964 taking part in the Boston Arts Festival in the Boston Public Garden. Among the works Boston Ballet presents are Balanchine’s Donzetti Variations, Concerto Barocco, and the pas de deux from Stars and Stripes.
2003: Boston Ballet celebrates its 40th year with a season that includes Balanchine’s Duo Concertant, a homage to the 100th anniversary of Balanchine’s birth.
2013: To kick off its 50th season, Boston Ballet presents a free show on the Boston Common called “Night of Stars.” 55,000 people gather to enjoy the program, which includes Balanchine’s Serenade and Symphony in Three Movements.
