George Balanchine

"Balanchine" redirects here. For the racehorse, see Balanchine (horse). For the crater on Mercury, see Balanchine (crater).
In this name that follows Eastern Slavic naming customs, the patronymic is Melitonovich and the family name is Balanchivadze.

George Balanchine
გიორგი ბალანჩივაძე
Balanchine in 1965
Born
Georgiy Melitonovich Balanchivadze

(1904-01-22)January 22, 1904
Saint Petersburg, Russian Empire
DiedApril 30, 1983(1983-04-30) (aged 79)
New York City, U.S.
Occupation(s)Dancer, choreographer, director
Years active1929–1983
Spouses
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(m. 1921; div. 1926)​
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(m. 1938; div. 1946)​
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(m. 1946; ann. 1952)​
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(m. 1952; div. 1969)​
PartnerAlexandra Danilova (1926–1933)
AwardsPresidential Medal of Freedom, among others (see below)

George Balanchine (/ˈbælən(t)ʃiːn, ˌbælənˈ(t)ʃiːn/;[1] born Georgiy Melitonovich Balanchivadze;[a] January 22, 1904 [O.S. January 9] – April 30, 1983) was a Georgian-American ballet choreographer, recognized as one of the most influential choreographers of the 20th-century.[2] Styled as the father of American ballet,[3] he co-founded the New York City Ballet and remained its artistic director for more than 35 years.[4] His choreography is characterized by plotless ballets with minimal costume and décor, performed to classical and neoclassical music.[5]

Born in St. Petersburg, Russia, Balanchine took the standards and technique from his time at the Imperial Ballet School and fused it with other schools of movement that he had adopted during his tenure on Broadway and in Hollywood, creating his signature "neoclassical style".[6][7]

He was a choreographer known for his musicality; he expressed music with dance and worked extensively with leading composers of his time like Igor Stravinsky.[8] Balanchine was invited to America in 1933 by a young arts patron named Lincoln Kirstein, and together they founded the School of American Ballet in 1934 as well as the New York City Ballet in 1948.

  1. ^ Various sources:
    • "Balanchine". The American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language (5th ed.). HarperCollins. Retrieved August 3, 2019.
    • "Balanchine". Collins English Dictionary. HarperCollins. Retrieved August 3, 2019.
    • "Balanchine, George". Lexico UK English Dictionary. Oxford University Press. Archived from the original on August 3, 2019.
    • "Balanchine". Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary. Merriam-Webster. Retrieved August 3, 2019.
  2. ^ "George Balanchine". Encyclopædia Britannica, December 9, 2018
  3. ^ Life Magazine. Volume 7. New York City: Time, Incorporated, 1984, p 139.
  4. ^ Joseph Horowitz (2008). Artists in Exile: How Refugees from 20th-century War and Revolution Transformed the American Performing Arts. Archived May 5, 2015, at the Wayback Machine HarperCollins. ISBN 0-06-074846-X
  5. ^ Norwich, John Julius (1985–1993). Oxford illustrated encyclopedia. Judge, Harry George., Toyne, Anthony. Oxford [England]: Oxford University Press. p. 29. ISBN 0-19-869129-7. OCLC 11814265.
  6. ^ "Unexpected Error". ent.sharelibraries.info.
  7. ^ Kassing, G. (2014). Discovering Dance. United Kingdom: Human Kinetics. p. 147. ISBN 9781450468862.
  8. ^ "Balanchine", American Masters, PBS, available on DVD.


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