Friday, May 7, 2010

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.



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

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