George Balanchine Bio/Wiki, Net Worth, Married 2018
George Balanchine (born Giorgi Melitonovitch Balanchivadze, Georgian: გიორგი ბალანჩივაძე, Russian: Гео́ргий Баланчива́дзе) (January 22 [O.S. January 9] 1904 – April 30, 1983) was one of the 20th century's most prolific choreographers. Styled as the father of American ballet, he took the standards and technique from his education at the Imperial Ballet School and fused it with other schools of movement that he had adopted during his tenure as a guest choreographer on Broadway and in Hollywood, creating his signature "neoclassical style". He was a choreographer known for his musicality; he expressed music with dance and worked extensively with leading composers of his time like Igor Stravinsky.He was invited to America in 1933, by a young arts patron named Lincoln Kirstein who shared Balanchine's attitude regarding the importance of high quality dance training in America and together they founded the School of American Ballet. Along with Kirstein he co-founded the New York City Ballet (NYCB) and remained its Artistic Director until his death.
April 30, 1983, New York City, New York, United States
Place Of Birth
St. Petersburg, Russia
Profession
Miscellaneous Crew, Actor, Director
Education
Saint Petersburg Conservatory
Nationality
Russian
Spouse
Tanaquil le Clerq (m. 1952–1969)
Parents
Meliton Balanchivadze, Maria Nikolayevna Vasilyeva
Siblings
Andria Balanchivadze, Tamara Balanchivadze
Awards
Kennedy Center Honors
Nominations
Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Choreography
Movies
A Midsummer Night's Dream
Star Sign
Aquarius
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Trademark
1
Lighter costumes, faster movements, plotless ballet pieces. His dancers moved brilliantly.
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Quote
1
Retire? You mean will I die?
2
"Ballet is Woman. In sports, it's Mickey Mantle. In politics, it's Eisenhower. In ballet, it's woman. Women are lighter, more flexible. They move more beautifully. He is not the King, but she's the Queen".
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Fact
1
Biography in: "The Scribner Encyclopedia of American Lives". Volume One, 1981-1985, pages 32-35. New York: Charles Scribner's Sons, 1998.
2
Was the choreographer primarily responsible for making ballet more modern.
3
Two of his wives played the same role in different productions of Rodgers and Hart's musical "On Your Toes", and both danced the ballet "Slaughter on Tenth Avenue" in it. Tamara Geva appeared in the 1936 original Broadway production, in which her leading man was Ray Bolger, who later played the Scarecrow in the 1939 film The Wizard of Oz (1939). Vera Zorina appeared in the 1939 film version of "On Your Toes", and her leading man was Eddie Albert, who later starred in the hit television series Green Acres (1965). The film version, however, dropped all the songs, even though it kept the ballet music.
4
Co-founder of the New York City Ballet and The School of American Ballet.
5
Choreographed more than 80 works with his NYCB company.
6
Quit dancing in his prime to choreograph.
7
Had unrequited romantic intentions with close friend and artistic muse Suzanne Farrell, prima ballerina of the New York City Ballet, even while he was still married. Balanchine received a Mexican divorce from his wife in order to marry Farrell, but returned to New York and found she had already married boyfriend and fellow New York City Ballet dancer Paul Mejia. Heartbroken, he kicked Mejia out of the company and when Farrell attempted to stand up for her husband she was also exiled. Farrell eventually reconciled with Balanchine and rejoined the company several years later. Balanchine never married again.
8
His 1954 staging of Tchaikovsky's "The Nutcracker" is probably his most famous work. It is the version most responsible for making the complete ballet an annual Christmas tradition throughout the United States. It has been performed in New York City annually since 1954,and still continues its run there - and in 1965, Atlanta, Ga. was one of the first cities outside New York to be granted the rights to perform the Balanchine version. It has also been filmed.
9
Perhaps the most famous and celebrated ballet choreographer of the twentieth century.
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Son of Georgian composer Meliton Balanchivadze. Brother of Georgian composer Andrei Balanchivadze.
Miscellaneous
Title
Year
Status
Character
Live from Lincoln Center
1978-2011
TV Series choreographer - 3 episodes
Jewels
2011
TV Movie choreographer
Sogno di una notte di mezza estate
2007
Video choreographer
Ballerina
2006
TV Movie documentary choreographer - Diamonds segment, Rubies segment / choreographer - Diamonds segment
$18 Million
