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George Balanchine

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George Balanchine

Ballet is one of the world's oldest and newest forms of dance. One man that created new audiences for ballet and mastered the dance to its fullest was none other than George Balanchine. He brought the standard ballet to levels no one has ever seen before. In the world of dance, there have been many wonderful and talented choreographers but Balanchine's work affected the dance world so much that he was a legend long before his death. Not only was he legendary worldwide but also his influenced American Ballet. George Balanchine's unique style of dance created the "American style" of Ballet.

Georgi Melitonovich Balnchivadze, George Balanchine, was born on January 22, 1904 in St. Petersburg. He was born into a highly musical family. His father, Meliton, was a singer and composer and his mother Marie, was a pianist. His mother encouraged her children to have musical education. He began to take piano lesson at age 5. He also received a classical education with his sister, Tamara and his younger brother, Andrei. Ironically, Balanchine had no desire to dance at all. His sister and brother were dancers. Music was young Balanchine's passion he hated anything to do with performing.

Balanchine's mother took himself and Andrei along with her to Tamara's audition to Maryinksky School of Ballet. His mother thought it would be a great opportunity if he auditioned as well. The results of the audition changed Balanchine's life forever. He was accepted and Tamara was not. That audition proved he had a natural gift for the art of dance. At this school, he fell in love with dance and performance. He thrived in its atmosphere.

At the age of 17, Balanchine entered the Conservatory of Music. He studied piano, composition and th...

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...work still lives onto today and his legend will live on forever.

In conclusion, Balanchine affected the world of dance by creating the "American style" of ballet. His unique style of technique was the foundation of the School of American Ballet and the New York City Ballet. Without Balanchine, American Ballet would be strictly traditional European style. Balanchine gave America the "kick" it needed.

Bibliography:

BIBLIOGRAPHY

Buckle, Richard. George Balanchine, Ballet Master.: A Biography; New York. 1988.

Haggin B.H.. Discovering Balanchine. New York, 1981.

Kristy, Davida. George Balanchine: American Ballet Master. Lerner Publications, 1996.

"George Balanchine, choreographer" BalletNotes Homepage, February 1998 http://balletmet.org/Notes/Balanchine.html

Taper, Bernard. Balanchine: A Biography. New York: Times Books, 1984.
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