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George Balanchine

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George Balanchine
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George Balanchine

George Balanchine (January 22 [O.S. January 9] 1904–April 30, 1983) was one of the 20th century's foremost choreographers, and one of the founders of American ballet. His work formed a bridge between classical and modern ballet.

Contents

Russia

Born Giorgi Melitonovich Balanchivadze in Saint Petersburg, Russia, his father was the famous Georgian composer Meliton Balanchivadze (1862-1937), a public benefactor and one of the founders of the Georgian Opera. George's brother, Andria Balanchivadze (1906-1992), also went on to become a well-known Georgian composer.

Young George Balanchine took to dancing readily, and was enrolled in ballet classes at the age of 9 at the Imperial Ballet, where he studied under Pavel Gerdt and Samuil Andrianov (Pavel's son-in-law). During the revolution he played the piano at cabarets and silent movies in exchange for bread; in 1921 he graduated from the academy with honors; that same year he married a dancer named Tamara Geva, only 14 years old at the time. Balanchine continued his studies of music at the Petrograd Conservatory (graduated in 1923), learning advanced piano and music theory, as well as composition, harmony, and counterpoint. From 1921-1924, Balanchine was employed at the State Theater of Opera and Ballet as a member of the corps de ballet''.

While still in his teens, Balanchine choreographed his first work, a pas de deux called La Nuit (1920, music by Anton Rubinstein). This was followed by another duet, Enigma, danced in bare feet. Then in 1923, he formed a small ensemble, the Young Ballet, with some fellow dancers. The choreogrpahy proved too experimental for the new authorities, who strongly encouraged the group to disband.

As luck would have it, George Balanchine, Tamara Geva, Alexandra Danilova, and Nicholas Efimov were granted permission to tour Western Europe in 1924. While performing in London, England, Serge Diaghilev approached the group to join his famous Ballets Russes, prompting the four to defect.

Ballet Russe

Diaghilev soon promoted Balanchine to balletmaster of the company, and allowed him to develop his own choreography. Between 1924 and Diaghilev's death in 1929, Balanchine created nine more ballets, and numerous smaller choreographies. Unfortunately, he also suffered a serious knee injury at this time, which limited his dancing and effectively ended his performance career. George Balanchine and Tamara Geva also divorced in 1926.

After Diaghilev's death, the Ballet Russe fell into disarray. Balanchine began to stage dances for the Cochran Revues in London, was retained by the Royal Danish Ballet in Copenhagen a guest ballet master. He returned to the Ballets Russes when it settled in Monte Carlo, resuming his post as ballet master for the new Ballets Russes de Monte Carlo, and choreographed three ballets: Cotillon, La Concurrence, and Le Bourgeois Gentilhomme. His new muse in Monte Carlo was the young Tamara Toumanova.

When René Blum passed control of the company to Colonel W. de Basil, Balanchine again left the Ballet Russes. This time he formed his own company, Les Ballets, with the financial baching of Edward James and Diaghilev's former secretary Boris Kochno as an advisor. The company lasted only a couple of months in 1933, but in that time several new choreographies were conceived by Balanchine, including artistic collaborations with Bertolt Brecht, Kurt Weill, Pavel Tchelitchew, Darius Milhaud, and Henri Sauget.

It was after a performance by Les Ballets that Lincoln Kirstein, an American arts patron with a dream of establishing a ballet company in the U.S., met and quickly persuaded Balanchine to move to the United States. By October of that year, Balanchine had landed overseas for the first time and began to establish a permanent foothold on the face of American dance.

America

Upon arriving in the United States, George Balanchine insisted that his first project would be to establish a ballet school, and with the support of Lincoln Kirstein and Edward M.M. Warburg, the School of American Ballet opened its doors to students on January 2nd, 1934, less than 3 months after Balanchine arrived in the U.S. The students premiered Serenade at the Warburg's summer estate later that year.

The following year, a professional company was formed - the American Ballet. After failing to mount a tour, the company began performing at the Metropolitan Opera House. After being allowed to stage only 2 dance perfomances (Orfeo and Eurydice in 1936, and an evening of dances choreographed to the music of Igor Stravinsky in 1937), Balanchine moved the company to Hollywood in 1938. The company was restarted as the American Ballet Caravan and toured North and South America, although it too folded after several years.

George Balanchine returned to Monte Carlo in 1944 to again work with the Ballet Russes, but soon returned to New York to form a new dance company - the Ballet Society - again with the help of Lincoln Kirstein. With the success of several performances, the company was offered the opportunity to work out of New York City Center for Music and Drama as the resident company. With that arrangement in place, the Ballet Society became the New York City Ballet in 1948.

The 1954 staging of The Nutcracker is largely responsible for making the ballet a Christmas tradition in the United States.

Balanchine would go on to marry the following dancers, but none of his marriages produced children: Vera Zorina (December 1938 - 1946) (divorced) Maria Tallchief (1946 - 1952) (annulment) Tanaquil LeClerq (1952 - 1969) (divorced)

One of his most famous romances did not end in marriage: in the 1960's, Balanchine fell deeply in love with the young and talented Suzanne Farrell. He created many ballets for her, including Don Quixote (with him playing the Don, and Farrell, Dulcinea), and the Diamonds section of the full-length ballet Jewels. The romance suffered however, because Balanchine was still married to LeClerq, and Farrell, a Catholic, refused to consummate the romance. Farrell's position in the company caused a lot of jealousy -- some ballerinas, like his former wife Maria Tallchief, quit, citing Farrell as the reason. But Farrell steadfastly refused to consummate the romance, and instead married a NYCB dancer Paul Meija. Balanchine had obtained a Mexican divorce from LeClerq before he found out about Farrell's marriage. Heartbroken and enraged, Balanchine and Farrell became increasingly estranged, and in 1970 both Farrell and her husband quit the company. They then moved to Brussels and joined Maurice Bejart's dance company. In 1975, Farrell returned to Balanchine and the New York City Ballet, but the relationship between Balanchine and Farrell remained close but professional. Balanchine created new ballets for Farrell after her return.

He also worked as a choreographer for musical theater (with such notables as Richard Rodgers, Lorenz hart, Vernon Duke), movies, and television. He had a long personal relationship with dancer Alexandra Danilova.

In 1983, Balanchine died of Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease, diagnosed only after his death. He first showed symptoms in 1978 when he began losing his balance while dancing. As the disease progressed his equilibrium, eyesight and hearing deteriorated. By 1982 he was incapacitated, and he died the following year at the age of 79.

Medical tests showed no cause but Balanchine would not permit a brain biopsy. The cause of death was determined by autopsy.

In his last years he also suffered from angina and underwent heart bypass surgery.

Choreographies

for the Ballets Russes: for the Ballets Russes de Monte-Carlo: for Les Ballets: for the American Ballet: for On Your Toes (a musical revue by Richard Rodgers - Lorenz Hart): for the American Ballet Caravan: for the Ballet del Teatro de Colón: for the Ballet Society: for the Paris Opera Ballet: for the Ballet Theatre: for the Grand Ballet du Marquis de Cuevas: for the New York City Ballet: for the New York City Opera:

References

 

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