Reviews
Balanchine celebrated in
style
BY HEDY WEISS
Dance Critic for Chicago Sun-Times
Published September 3, 2004
So, who was George Balanchine (1904-1983)
and why has the dance world been celebrating the centennial
of the choreographer’s birth all this year? To suggest the
answer, consider a few crucial aspects of his life:
Born in St. Petersburg (of Georgian heritage), Balanchine
trained at the Imperial School of Ballet and Theater,
eventually fleeing post-revolutionary Soviet Union and
spending four years (1925-29) in Paris, where he
choreographed for the great impresario Serge Diaghilev.
In 1933, when ballet in the United States was in its most
fledgling state, Balanchine was invited to organize the
School of American Ballet and the American Ballet
Company.
In 1946, Balanchine and his supporter, Lincoln Kirstein,
organized the Ballet Society. Two years later this became
the New York City Ballet (NYCB), which today remains one of
the world’s premiere dance companies, although sadly it
hasn’t visited Chicago in years. The School of American
Ballet continues to serve as the troupe’s crucial training
ground.
With 400 ballets to his credit — many of which are part
of the repertory of the major international dance companies
— Balanchine is credited with devising an American ballet
style that reflected the particular speed and technical
brilliance of this country’s dancers. He also freed ballet
of its dependence on storytelling.
Joffrey Ballet Balanchine Centennial
Sept. 8, 9 and 10 at 8 p.m.
Ravinia Festival, 418 Sheridan Rd., Highland Park
Tickets, $15-$40
847.266.5100
Next weekend at the Ravinia Festival, the Joffrey Ballet
will pay homage to Balanchine with the performance of four
works that display his versatility and intense musicality,
as well as the technically demanding nature of his dances.
Among them will be an early masterpiece, “Apollo,” danced
for the first time by the Joffrey. Also on the bill will be
the rousing “Tarantella,” the spirited “Square Dance” and
the elegant “Tchaikovsky Pas de Deux.”
Recently, a group of the company’s supporters was treated
to a panel discussion on Balanchine by four experts: Paul
Boos, who danced with NYCB from 1977-90 and is setting
“Apollo” on the Joffrey; Vicki Simon, a former Balanchine
dancer who has traveled the world as “repetiteur” (the
person who teaches the dancers the ballet) and is overseeing
the staging of the other three works on the program;
Patricia Wilde, a longtime star of the NYCB for whom
Balanchine created “Square Dance”; and Daniel Duell, also a
longtime dancer with NYCB, and the founder of Ballet
Chicago. Here are a few of their observations on what made
Balanchine so great:
Patricia Wilde: “His musicality was incomparable; music
was the base of everything for him. He made music visible.
And though some say his work is cold, I think it is full of
emotion, full of joy and excitement. I particularly love
‘Square Dance’ because it’s very fast — tailored to the
strengths of a short dancer, like me.”
Vicki Simon: “Choreographing came so easily to him. And
while not all of his ballets were great, he was so prolific
that he easily discarded the clunkers and just moved on to
the next thing.”
Daniel Duell: “He did such a great variety of work and
chose from such a wide range of music. And he believed that
the music and dance were sufficient; a ballet didn’t need a
specific story to have meaning. Many musicians have said
that in watching his dances they began to understand the
music in a new way. He really built his ballets from the
inside out, using the architecture of the score.”
Paul Boos: “What is so interesting about ‘Apollo’ is how
he kept stripping away at it over the years, simplifying
everything, including the costumes. And while Balanchine is
known for showcasing women, this is one of his most glorious
celebrations of the male dancer, as well.”
Four by Balanchine
Here’s a brief overview of the Balanchine works to be
danced by the Joffrey:
“Apollo,” created in 1928 for
Diaghilev’s Ballets Russes, was the earliest masterpiece to
emerge from Balanchine’s lifelong collaboration with
composer Igor Stravinsky. A bold mix of the classical and
modern, it tells the story of the education of the Greek god
through his exposure to three female muses.
“Tarantella,” created in 1964 for New York City Ballet
(NYCB) dancers Patricia McBride and Edward Villella, is a
tour de force of endurance inspired by the Italian folk
dance.
“Tchaikovsky Pas de Deux,” created in 1960 for his NYCB
dancers Violette Verdy and Conrad Ludlow, is a showcase in
the classical Russian ballet style.
“Square Dance,” created in 1957, with NYCB dancers Patricia
Wilde and Nicholas Magallanes leading the ensemble, is set
to the music of Corelli and features a live caller on stage;
an ingenious and demanding blend of American square dance
and classical ballet technique.
Balanchine by the books
In connection with the centenary of his birth, two new books
about George Balanchine are to be published in November.
They are:
George Balanchine: The Ballet Maker, by Robert Gottlieb
(HarperCollins, $19.95), a brief, breezily written, nicely
gossipy book by New York City Ballet fan and “insider” (who
also was editor of Bill Clinton’s memoir), that captures the
artistry and private life of the choreographer. The volume
is part of James Atlas’ new Eminent Lives series.
All in the Dances: A Brief Life of George Balanchine, by
Terry Teachout (Harcourt, $22), another slim, elegantly
written book that really homes in on the crafting and
interpretation of the choreographer’s major works and his
artistic legacy.