Balanchine Beginnings

How George Balanchine started his career, his relationship with music and composers, and how he became of of the most influential choreographers.

George Balanchine with an early member of the NYCB

"Dancers are instruments, like a piano the choreography plays"

- George Balanchine

George Balanchine was born with an affinity towards music since his father was a composer. Naturally he began cultivating his musical talents at a young age. At five George Balanchine started learning the piano, at nine he started learning ballet (at the imperial ballet school, and at seventeen he joined the Maryinsky corps de ballet where he first began experimenting in choreographing original pieces. He then went on to learn music theory for three years. Before joining a company Balanchine had built a strong foundation based on both music and dance throughout his entire life which lead to him being one of the most influential choreographers of his time.

"Ballet is perhaps the only form of art which permits real, intimate collaboration between two people gifted with visual imagination."

- Igor Stravinsky

Choreographer and Composer

Throughout his choreographing career Balanchine was able to work a lot closer to his composers than his contemporary choreographers due to his foundation in music. Balanchine had stated he thought of Tchaikovsky as a mentor/father figure despite them never being alive together. He was quoted saying he "would not have managed" without the help of Tchaikovsky and his music. It is clear Mr. feels a kinship and highly regards Tchaikovsky most likely to his appreciation and knowledge of music. He worked with existing Tchaikovsky compositions to created fourteen of eighty ballets for the New York City Ballet. Igor Stravinsky worked even closer with George Balanchine as a friend and collaborator on over thirty ballets within the NYCB. Although Stravinsky only composed four original scores for Balanchine they worked with already existing compositions. Balanchine even used Stravinsky's "Violin Concerto in D" twice; the music had been used in Balanchine's previous company and he used it again to create a new, unique piece titled as the composition. Balanchine and Stravinsky were so close even as a composer Stravinsky was still involved with the choreographing ballets set to his own music, and Balanchine used Stravinsky's input as a guide while still maintaining his own originality in his work. A member of the Balanchine Foundation described him as “Like an index with regards to ballets that he thought he would like to do mostly … inspired by music … to do the Fauré , to do the Stravinsky, to do the Tchaikovsky...”

His Legacy George Balanchine worked across Europe forming his own companies and working for others until he met Lincoln Kirstein who asked Balanchine for help establishing a new company in America that would be able to equal or rival the European ballet companies.

They founded the School of American Ballet which because the school for the New York City Ballet company. There Balanchine was about to form his teaching style to form what became the American ballet technique or the "Balanchine Method". The NYCB is currently the most praised company in America rivaled by ABT. Choreographers coming from the NYCB or the NYCB choreographic institute continue to showcase The Balanchine Method in new, completely modern ballet. For any company wishing to perform a Balanchine ballet they must request a license from The Balanchine Trust and meet specific requirements. During his life George Balanchine created over 400 works for ballet companies, Broadway, movies, and television. His ballets continue to be performed as a staple for any company.