When did george balanchine start dancing
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Who Is George Balanchine?
June 1-3, 2023, our Academy Trainees will have the amazing opportunity of performing George Balanchine’s Walpurgisnacht. Rebecca Metzger, a highly accomplished performer, director, and repetiteur from the Balanchine Trust, spent a week in January instructing the dancers in the nuances of the work. To perform a Balanchine work is to prove your technical aptitude and to add an impressive legacy to your resume. Walpurgisnacht is sure to be the highlight of their showcase performance this June!
But some may ask:
Who is “George Balanchine”?
For those of you who are a bit lost, here’s what you need to know about the father of American ballet.
THE ABSOLUTE BASICS
George Balanchine was born in Russia in 1904, studied ballet and piano, traveled around Europe in the 1920s teaching and choreographing, then moved to America to start a school and a company. His work established the recognizable aesthetic and home institution of American ballet, contributing to worldwide recognition of American dance.
A LITTLE MORE DETAIL
George Balanchine was bor
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George Balanchine
George Balanchine (1904–83) was one of the leading dance figures of the 20th century. He created a new style of ballet with his company New York City Ballet and reinvigorated the US ballet scene. His innate musicality is evident in all his works, and led to a rich partnership with composer Igor Stravinsky. Of his estimated 425 works many are in the core repertories of companies around the world.
Balanchine was born Georgi Melitonovich Balanchivadze in St Petersburg. He trained at the Imperial State Ballet and from the age of 11 danced on the stage of the Mariinsky Theatre, entering the company in 1921. Three years later he auditioned for Sergey Diaghilev in Paris and spent five years as ballet master with the Ballets Russes. After Diaghilev’s death he worked as a choreographer and ballet master around Europe before being invited by impresario Lincoln Kirstein to move to the USA in 1933. Balanchine began creating a new school and repertory of American ballet and in 1948 founded NYCB. Balanchine’s style of dance favoured tall ballerinas, and his muses included M
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George Balanchine
(1904-1983)
Who Was George Balanchine?
George Balanchine studied ballet and music in Russia before making his way to the United States. He gained notoriety as a young choreographer and co-founded the American Ballet. Balanchine was the co-founder, artistic director and chief choreographer of the New York City Ballet, and nearly every ballet company in the world has performed his work.
Early Life
Georgy Melitonovich Balanchivadze was born on January 22, 1904, in St. Petersburg, Russia. The son of a composer, Balanchine had a robust understanding of music. In 1914, he enrolled at the Mariinsky Theatre's ballet school. He graduated in 1921 and subsequently attended the Petrograd State Conservatory of Music, leaving the conservatory after three years.
In 1922, Balanchine married a 15-year-old ballet student named Tamara Gevergeyeva. This was the first of four marriages to dancers, and for each of his wives, Balanchine would make a ballet.
In 1924, Balanchine was invited to tour Germany as part of the Soviet State Dancers. A year later, the young choreograp
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