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George Balanchine

George Balanchine (Georgiy Melitonovich Balanchivadze) is a famous American ballet choreographer. He is considered the father of American ballet for his vast contribution to the 20-the century ballet.

Balanchine co-founded the New York City Ballet and served as its artistic director for over three and half decades.

He gained popularity for his unconventional plotless ballets. The dances had a minimal focus on costumes and setting but emphasized the dancers' movements, formations, angles, etc.

Balanchine's ballets highlight each dancer on the stage, even when they perform as a team.

Early Life

Georg Balanchine was the son of Meliton Balanchivadze, the Georgian opera singer, composer, and founder of the Tbilisi Opera and Ballet Theatre in Russia.

Much information is not available about his maternal side, though his mother, Maria Nikolayevna Vasilyeva, was the daughter of a German and ballet enthusiast. She was Meliton's second wife and wanted her son to join the military despite her love for the arts.

Balanchine had three siblings, one of whom was Andrei Balanchivadze, a famous Georgian composer.

George Balanchine wasn't particularly interested in ballet as a child. He was forced to audition with his sister and had to relocate to rural Finland as he was selected for it.

Balanchine was nine years old when this happened. He was then enrolled in the prestigious Imperial Ballet School.

He choreographed his first work when in his teens. It was a pas de deux titled La Nuit. However, the school directors didn’t like his work. Balanchine continued to experiment during the evenings and formed Young Ballet in 1923 with a few colleagues.

The Famous Choreographer

Balanchine, his wife Tamara Geva, and a couple of dancers fled to Paris in 1924. He became the main choreographer of Ballet Russes when he was 21. Sergei Diaghilev owed Ballet Russes and suggested Balanchine change his name.

George Balanchine continued to create more works during the next decade. Sergei Diaghilev’s death affected the company, but Balanchine did his best to keep it going. He also collaborated with composers like Darius Milhaud, Kurt Weill, etc., in the 1930s.

He entered the US in 1934 to establish a ballet school to provide proper training. He also started choreographing Broadway musicals, such as On Your Toes.

He then relocated his ballet company to Hollywood in 1938 and established the New York City Ballet in 1948. Find more information about Balanchine ballet shows on our website.