Overall, I have thouroughly enjoyed researching George Balanchine. I appreciate him more than ever for the amazing transformation his creative mind brought to the dance world. He changed the face of dance forever, established some of the world's greates dance Companies. At the American Ballet Theatre, it's said to be so difficult to get into, you have to be so extremely flexible, like the girl in the photo above, This particular female dancer, Allegra Kent of the American Ballet, was taught under the teachings and influence of George Balanchine, and I personally had the honor of taking her class and meeting with her personally. Also if you can't land a single Pirouette, in the audition, that's it. You're out of there. No if's, and's, or but's. I aspire to one day dance in the company Mr. B founded, he is such an inspiration, and I am eternally grateful for everything he's given to the art of Ballet. It;'s definatley up to us dancers to continue on the teachings of George Balanchine and carry on his legacy for years to come. And I doubt that his devout followers will ever forget what he's done for everyone and they will bring honor to his name. Even though he is gone, His works will flourish and contiue to influence young dancers for many many years to come.

Picture Cited: http://www.stretchgym.com/images/AllegraKent.jpg

The American

During the years when Balanchine was living in America, the America Ballet and the Metroppolitan Opera combined forces, and while he worked for them, he created the peice Le Baiser de la fée (1937; The Fairy's Kiss). Also, because Balanchine was choreographing for musicals, and Hollywood motion pictures, he developed a certain style that was a bit more on the darker more depressing side. In 1936, he choreographed a peice for the ballet, On Your Toes, and the peice was entitled Slaughter on Tenth Avenue. In 1938 the unison of the American Ballet and Metropolitan Opera split, But Director Lincoln Kirstein founded the ballet Caravan where Balanchine directed. Around this time, the Ballet Caravan combined with what was left of the American Ballet and together they went on an American Latin Tour. And it was at this point in time that Balanchine composed Concerto barocco and Ballet Imperial. Then when World War II came, Balanchine worked for the Original Ballet Russe, Ballet Russe de Monte Carlo, and he also continued to work for Hollywood or on Broadway. Though the times were hard, Kirstein was determined to base the teachings of the American Ballet strictly around he unique and fascinating styles of Balanchine. Then in 1946, he founded the Ballet Society that went on later to become the well known New York City Ballet where Balanchine composed over 150 works among which were the famous Nutcracker and Don Quixote. Balanchine went on teaching at the American Ballet and several other schools across America, where he created peices that will forever go down in history in the dance world and his teachings are famous even to this day.

Sources: http://web.ebscohost.com/ehost/detail?vid=2&hid=106&sid=06a4f6da-23c2-4e50-880b-f0abeb112674%40sessionmgr112&bdata=JmxvZ2lucGFnZT1Mb2dpbi5hc3Amc2l0ZT1laG9zdC1saXZlJnNjb3BlPXNpdGU%3d#db=f5h&AN=32403086

Photo Cited: http://blog.oregonlive.com/ent_impact_performance/2008/12/large_nutcracker2008.jpg

Accomplishments

In my reading of George Balanchine I discovered how versitile his choreography and dancing was. I thought it was only ballet, but it turns out Balanchine composed ballets for motion pictures or movies, musicals, comedies, and operas. When he came to America, he brought with him certain styles of dance from Russia and mixed them with American techniques in order to create a whole new America classic style of dancing. His unique styles and interesting distortions of the norm changed ballet forever, and now those techniques he created, are taught in schools all over America today. I myself have been taught the Balanchine method and can say it is by far my favorite method of dance. It is beautiful, unique, different, and very distinguishable. Balanchine also started several or helped found several ballet companies. They are the American Ballet, the New York City Ballet, and the Ballet Society. All of which are very successful and well known even to this day. People don't usually know this, but Balanchine was also an extremely accomplished musician, and he also collaborated with many famous composers like Igor Stravinsky, Hershy Kay, and many more. George Balanchine was a man of many talents, and he used them to help develop the world of dance into an even more beautiful form f art than it already was.

Sources: Moore, Lillian, ed. World Book Encyclopedia, Vol. 2 Feild Enterprise Educational Corp., 1963, page 29

Early Life

The early life of George Balanchine is so interesting to me in so many ways. I have learned things I never would have known about him without studying about him. George Balanchine was born January 2, 1904. His father was a choreographer who influenced balanchine to start dancing. He first started off dancing at the Imperial School of Ballet, then when that school closed down, he struggled to find work, so he would get small jobs when he could, and gave small piano concerts. then the Imperial School of Ballet re-opened with a new name; Soviet State School of Ballet, and Balanchine danced there for a few more years while studying music at the Petrograd Conservatory. George Balanchine's first attempt at choreography was in 1920. It was a short peice that was danced along to Anton Rubinstein's Nuit. By this time, he had graduated and was constantly choreographing small, experimental peices that he himself would perform along with any of his coleagues who took interest. However, Balanchine's instructors would discourage him. Despite his teachers telling him it wasn't the wisest idea to be choreographing experimental peices, He went on to choreograph Le Boeuf sur le toit, and a scene for Caesar and Cleopatra for the Mikhailovsky Theatre in Petrograd. Soon after these works, Balanchine left the Soviet Union so that he could tour with a group of dancers known as the Soviet State Dancers. He was the first dancer whio actually left the Soviet Union during his career as a dancer. After he toured Germany, Paris, and London, he joined Sergey Diaghilev's Ballets in 1925 Russes. It was at this time that Diaghilev propsed to Balanchine that he change his name to Balanchine. Turns out his name was originally Georgy Balanchivadse. Balanchine assumed the job of being a replacement choreographer for one of Diaghilev's former choreographers. He was responsible for ten ballets, tow of which are Apollo and Le Fils prodigue (The Prodigal Son, 1929). That year, Diaghilev passed away, so Balanchine danced with the Royal Danish Ballet and continued on with the Ballet Russe de Monte Carlo. In 1933, American dance enthusiast; Lincoln Kirstein was so impressed by the work of the avant-garde company Les Ballets; which Balanchine helped found, that he invited Balanchine to Come with him to America to start what would later be known as the American School of Ballet. Balanchine accepted the invitation and went to America and became known as Mr. B in the dance world. All of these events occurred during the time of World War I or during the European years and then bled into the American Years of his life where his dance/ choreographing years really took off. And the picture above is George Balanchine dancing in villela.

Sources: http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=f5h&AN=32403086&loginpage=Login.asp&site=ehost-live&scope=site

Picture Source: http://www.danceheritage.org/images/villella.jpg

George Balanchine

I have not yet had the opportunity to study up on George Balanchine, which is quite unfortunate because, he was basically the author of my favorite method of ballet, the Balanchine Method. I'm very interested in his method for several reasons; 1) I absolutley love the art of ballet, and his specific method is so classical, clean, and unique, 2) I've always followed his teachings, but never known anything about him, I would like to know how he came about creating this beautiful method of movement, or what his life was like leading up to ballet, and 3) I believe that in order to fully appreciate the instruction given to us;dancers, it's important to understand our instructor...I would love to understand george Balanchine. I hope with all my heart to come away from this blog research report knowing more about the life of this incredible man. To me He is like the god of ballet. He created something so incredibly beautiful, and gave it over to those of us who had no knowledge of it, he taught us how to display the human body as a work of art, an indescribable, breath-taking image used to capture the minds and hearts of our audience.