George Balanchine is regarded as the foremost contemporary choreographer in the world of ballet. George Balanchine's passion and creativity have resulted in timeless classics that continue to amaze. A discussion of the history of American ballet is not possible without mentioning the mastery of George Balanchine.
Early Life of George Balanchine:
George Balanchine was born in St. Petersburg on Jan 22, 1904. His father was a noted Georgian composer. At the age of nine, Balanchine enrolled in the Imperial Ballet School. He graduated with honors, then enrolled in the Petrograd Conservatory. At the age of 18, he married Tamara Geva, a young dancer. Balanchine then became a principal dancer and choreographer of Diaghilev's Ballets Russes. He moved to the US in 1933 and became director of ballet for the Metropolitan Opera House. In 1946, he cofounded the New York City Ballet and became its artistic director and principal choreographer.
Balanchine Joins Ballets Russes:
In 1924, Balanchine was permitted to leave the newly formed Soviet Union with three other dancers for a tour of "Soviet State Dancers" in Western Europe. The foursome did not return, and were soon performing in London. The dancers auditioned and joined Serge Diaghilev's Ballets Russes.
Balanchine soon became ballet master (principal choreographer) of the company. He created several ballets, but also suffered a serious knee injury that ended his performance career. In 1926, Balanchine and Tamara Geva divorced, and shortly after, he left the company.
Balanchine Forms His Own Company:
After leaving Ballets Russes, Balanchine decided to form his own company, Les Ballets. He developed six new ballets during the short time the company survived. It was during this time that Balanchine met Lincoln Kirstein, an American and graduate of Harvard University.
Kirstein's dream was to establish a ballet company in America. The School of American Ballet opened its doors to students on January 2, 1934, almost three months after Balanchine arrived in the U.S. The next year, Balanchine formed a professional company and named it the American Ballet.
Balanchine Goes to Hollywood:
In 1938, Balanchine moved his company to Hollywood. The company soon became known as the American Ballet Caravan, touring North and South America. The company collapsed after several years, but Balanchine quickly formed a new dance company, the Ballet Society. After several successful performances, the company became the resident company at the New York City Center for Music and Drama. In 1948, Ballet Society became the New York City Ballet.
Balanchine received the Kennedy Center Honors Award in 1978. In 1983, he died of Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease, after several years of illness.
