One of ballet’s greatest director/choreographers of all time, George Balanchine, was born on this day, 105 years ago. Balanchine’s work has been frequently seen and cited on Thirteen and PBS; you can watch an interview with him from the early ’60s from our USA Arts archives, and more.
In this episode, George Balanchine, co-founder, artistic director, and chief choreographer of the New York City Ballet, assembed star members of the company to perform some of his own works. Each chapter below has some introduction/description form Balanchine, and examples of the dances mentioned performed by some of the NYC Ballet’s all-time great dancers.
Balanchine also discusses his relationship to the dancers and his philosophy of dance.
USA Dance: New York City Ballet
Chapter 1: Intro
Chapter 2: Agon
Chapter 3: Tarantella
Chapter 4: Meditation
Chapter 5: Grand Pas De Deux
Chapter 1: Intro
Chapter 2: Agon
Chapter 3: Tarantella
Chapter 4: Meditations
Chapter 5: Grand Pas De Deux
Read more about Balanchine’s life and works:
American Masters site on Balanchine
Balanchine’s wiki page
Balanchine’s posthumous company
