Topic: George Balanchine

George Balanchine , 1904-83, American choreographer and ballet dancer, b. St. Petersburg, Russia, as Georgi Balanchivadze. The son of a composer, Balanchine attended the Imperial Ballet School, St. Petersburg, and performed in Russia. In 1924 he toured Europe and joined Diaghilev 's Ballets Russes as a principal dancer and choreographer (1924-29). After moving to the United States (1933), he became director of ballet for the Metropolitan Opera House (1934-37) and a founder, with Lincoln Kirstein , of the School of American Ballet (1934). In 1946 the two men founded the company that would... Read more