George has a long history and background in this field. Credited as the foremost contemporary choreography in the world of ballet and having revamped and stylized a new ballet form, It only seems natural for George Balanchine to have had have many influences/collaborations during his life time. Influences that guided him towards the artist he became and the achievements he reached. One of Balanchine’s biggest influences/collaborations would be when he meet Boston-born dance connoisseur Lincoln Kristein in 1933. Kirstein had seen George in a performance of Georges’ then established traveling company, “Les Ballets”, with whom he hired Boris Kochnoand as artistic advisor, shared his interest in establishing a school for Ballet in America, to which George found interesting as well. The school and performing company these men created is knows today as The New York City Ballet and is one of the most pristine ballet schools/companies in the world.
Growing up, George had a great musical influence form his father, a Georgian Composer who taught George to play the piano from a early age. Meanwhile, as a child, George studied at the St. Petersburg's rigorous Imperial Theater School and later on, the Petrograd Conservatory of Music. It was in 1924 that George meet and was asked to join the company created by the very own, Serge Diaghilev. In the next handful of years George became head choreographer for Diaghliev’s company and really saw him self grow into the artist we all know today. 
George is also know to have worked in films along side Lydia Lopokov, to have performed with Tamara Geva, Alexandra Danilova, and Nicholas Efimov. (this was prior to his meeting with Diaghliev’s in 1924). When George had established his first company, “Les Ballets” (as mentioned earlier) he worked with many artist and presented many collaborations. For the company's first-and only-season, he created six new ballets, in collaboration with such leading artistic figures as Bertolt Brecht and Kurt Weill (The Seven Deadly Sins), artist Pavel Tchelitchew (Errante), and composers Darius Milhaud (Les Songes) and Henri Sauget (Fastes).
Due to a tragic knee injury that almost ruined Balanchine’s career in 1929, he began to heavily focus on choreographing aside from performing. It now doubt, however, that Mr. Balanchine has and was a huge influence on the world of Ballet and what we see today in performances.
Jacob -
ReplyDeleteWhen you say George Balanchine is one of the most foremost contemporary choreographers, do you mean contemporary in the sense of time or in the sense of dance style?
THANKS!
ALYSON
p.s. can't wait to see your Balanchine work - fascinating!
So first of all, I just looked at this and realized all of the txt was like invisible or something. So I apologize for that! This site makes me mad at times!! haha. Anyways, really good question. When I use the word contemporary and when I've seen it placed in the articles I've read I can defiantly see it going in both directions actually. George is know to have revamp, and re-styled the form of ballet that we predominately see here in the States. I kind of laugh cause it can be known as the term: Bastardized ballet in a sense, which is a term you probably have heard. He established a style of ballet know as the Balanchine Ballet style, which he taught at the school and company he created in New York. With this said, his style is definitely one to have a more contemporary flavor versus traditional/classical Ballet.
ReplyDeleteI would also say the sense of time is contemporary in his work as well. This is a style that he established less than 100 years ago and is still around today. The period in which he was establishing this school/company along with his very own style definitely helped push along this contemporary swing we saw at that time. Not only from George but many other artist. I consider him apart of that movement.
Me again - just wanted to say great job on your final. You didn't need to apologize for not being a ballet dancer - by the time Mr. B was setting works on NYCB, he was choreographing, not dancing and I can see what you were doing with the piece and what you would've done if you were morphed into him ha ha! I liked the manipulation of classical ballet stuff - flexed feet going into 5th position, etc. Bravo!
ReplyDeleteThank you Alyson! Appreciate this :)
ReplyDelete