Raymonda Variations
''Raymonda Variations'', formerly titled ''Valses et Variations'', is a ballet choreographed by George Balanchine to excepts from Alexander Glazunov's score for the 1898 ballet ''Raymonda''. Instead of following the plot of the 1898 ballet, the Balanchine ballet is plotless. It premiered on December 7, 1961, at the City Center of Music and Drama. ''Raymonda Variations'' was made for the New York City Ballet, with the two lead roles originated by Patricia Wilde and Jacques d'Amboise. Choreography ''Raymonda Variations'' is danced by two principal dancers, a man and a woman, and ensemble of twelve women. The ballet does not follow the plot of the 1898 ''Raymonda''. Balanchine explained, "The music itself, its grand and generous manner, its joy and playfulness, was for me more than enough to carry the plot of the dances." He described the ballet,When the curtain goes up, twelve girls stand posing in an elegant garden. They dance for us and then the principals, another girl then a bo ...
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George Balanchine
George Balanchine (; Various sources: * * * * born Georgiy Melitonovich Balanchivadze; ka, გიორგი მელიტონის ძე ბალანჩივაძე; January 22, 1904 (O. S. January 9) – April 30, 1983) was an ethnic Georgian American ballet choreographer who was one of the most influential 20th-century choreographers. Styled as the father of American ballet, he co-founded the New York City Ballet and remained its artistic director for more than 35 years.Joseph Horowitz (2008)''Artists in Exile: How Refugees from 20th-century War and Revolution Transformed the American Performing Arts.''HarperCollins. His choreography is characterized by plotless ballets with minimal costume and décor, performed to classical and neoclassical music. Born in St. Petersburg, Balanchine took the standards and technique from his time at the Imperial Ballet School and fused it with other schools of movement that he had adopted during his tenure on Broadway and in ...
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Variation (ballet)
In ballet, a variation (sometimes referred to as a pas seul, meaning to dance alone) is a solo dance. In a classical grand pas de deux, the ballerina and danseur each perform a variation. Examples * ''La Bayadère'' – Gamzatti, Nikiya * ''Coppélia'' – Swanhilda * '' Le Corsaire'' – Medora * '' Diana and Acteon'' – Diana * ''Don Quixote'' – Basilio, Kitri, Cupid * ''The Nutcracker'' – Sugar Plum Fairy * ''Sleeping Beauty'' – Bluebird * ''Swan Lake'' – Odile (the Black Swan) References {{reflist Variation (ballet) In ballet, a variation (sometimes referred to as a pas seul, meaning to dance alone) is a solo dance. In a classical grand pas de deux, the ballerina and danseur each perform a variation. Examples * ''La Bayadère'' – Gamzatti, Nikiya * ''Cop ...

1961 Ballet Premieres
Events January * January 3 ** United States President Dwight D. Eisenhower announces that the United States has severed diplomatic and consular relations with Cuba (Cuba–United States relations are restored in 2015). ** Aero Flight 311 (Koivulahti air disaster): Douglas DC-3C OH-LCC of Finnish airline Aero crashes near Kvevlax (Koivulahti), on approach to Vaasa Airport in Finland, killing all 25 on board, due to pilot error: an investigation finds that the captain and first officer were both exhausted for lack of sleep, and had consumed excessive amounts of alcohol at the time of the crash. It remains the deadliest air disaster to occur in the country. * January 5 ** Italian sculptor Alfredo Fioravanti marches into the U.S. Consulate in Rome, and confesses that he was part of the team that forged the Etruscan terracotta warriors in the Metropolitan Museum of Art. ** After the 1960 military coup, General Cemal Gürsel forms the new government of Turkey (25th government). * ...
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