The Balanchine Method

George Balanchine becomes so well known and successful his ballet teaching style became the "Balanchine Method" as the american style of teaching ballet and added to the official methods of teaching ballet.

George Balanchine with NYCB dancers

"Most ballet teachers in the United States are terrible. If they were in medicine, everyone would be poisoned." - George Balanchine

Modern.... but make it Balanchine

All Balanchine ballets are all classical with technique but the movements can still seem modern to someone who didn't know better. The music from a classical full length ballet utilizes a symphony or orchestra for its many acts and while Balanchine did choreograph many close alongside composers he also created shorter pieces with music that will always be different and have a modern sound in comparison. His ballets are described as neoclassical by many and one director described his works by saying, “The mechanisms are different, ...A path which is a ridge between one thing and another”. He drew inspiration by well know classical ballets , such as sleeping beauty for big formations and diagonals in corps pieces. His distinct style has been described as a return to the 18th century ballets revised in the 19th century and it is said he "brought the Petipa level of classical ballet into a new level because of a new era". Balanchine stayed true to classical ballet technique while pushing the dancers to go beyond what had previously been done.

The Balanchine Method

The NYCB was created and taught by George Balanchine and it was there that he fully cultivated his teaching style and presented it so that it became known as "the Balanchine Method" which served as the American style of technique.The method is based on his knowledge of the Vaganova style of technique he received, but he focused on the aesthetic and presentation of steps and developed his on unique style. The traits that set it apart from the other seven techniques are its: requirement of extreme speed, deeper plies, unconventional arm and hand placements, and an emphasis on the dancers' lines. He wanted to make the dancers create an illusion of using more space in less time. This method is taught in his company and has been taught in other professional school founded by his mentees. Dancers who danced along with Balanchine himself and dancers said performing one of his ballets was a learning experience

His Process

Many dancers who worked and were dancing in the NYCB with Balanchine commend his ability to make the dancer look her best onstage. Many have said that if a step felt wrong or if they turned better to the left than the right that he would accommodate them while still being able to maintain the structure of his choreography and vision because regardless if a step is changed slightly his choreography was very structured around the music. Balanchine has been quoted saying many time show in ballet the female ballerina would always be put on a pedestal and shown to her advantage and if she had a partner he would be her admirer. He choreographed romantic style ballets and then would choreograph a very modern almost jazzy style ballet next. His choreography is timelessly modern.