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The Goldberg Variations (ballet)
''The Goldberg Variations'' is a ballet choreographed by Jerome Robbins to Bach's ''Goldberg Variations''. A plotless ballet, it starts with two performers dancing to the Theme, followed by the variations divided into two parts, with variations repeated as Bach had intended in the score. Robbins made the ballet for the New York City Ballet, and premiered on May 27, 1971, at the New York State Theater. Choreography The ballet starts with the Theme, with two dancers in Baroque costumes. It is followed by the variations that are divided in two parts, with two sets of dancers. The variations consist of solos, duets, trios, quartets, quintets, sextets and group numbers. Author Deborah Jowitt wrote this part is "more playful and experimental" It features dancers in jewel tone practice clothes. Jowitt described Part II as "more formal, classical and mature." In Part II, the dancers add bits to their costumes, at first shirts for men, and breeches and short skirts for women, and later tutu ...
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Jerome Robbins
Jerome Robbins (born Jerome Wilson Rabinowitz; October 11, 1918 – July 29, 1998) was an American dancer, choreographer, film director, theatre director and producer who worked in classical ballet, on stage, film, and television. Among his numerous stage productions were '' On the Town'', ''Peter Pan'', ''High Button Shoes'', ''The King and I'', ''The Pajama Game'', '' Bells Are Ringing'', ''West Side Story'', ''Gypsy'', and '' Fiddler on the Roof''. Robbins was a five-time Tony Award-winner and a recipient of the Kennedy Center Honors. He received two Academy Awards, including the 1961 Academy Award for Best Director with Robert Wise for ''West Side Story'' and a special Academy Honorary Award for his choreographic achievements on film. A documentary about Robbins's life and work, ''Something to Dance About'', featuring excerpts from his journals, archival performance and rehearsal footage, and interviews with Robbins and his colleagues, premiered on PBS in 2009 and won both ...
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Harpsichord
A harpsichord ( it, clavicembalo; french: clavecin; german: Cembalo; es, clavecín; pt, cravo; nl, klavecimbel; pl, klawesyn) is a musical instrument played by means of a keyboard. This activates a row of levers that turn a trigger mechanism that plucks one or more strings with a small plectrum made from quill or plastic. The strings are under tension on a soundboard, which is mounted in a wooden case; the soundboard amplifies the vibrations from the strings so that the listeners can hear it. Like a pipe organ, a harpsichord may have more than one keyboard manual, and even a pedal board. Harpsichords may also have stop buttons which add or remove additional octaves. Some harpsichords may have a buff stop, which brings a strip of buff leather or other material in contact with the strings, muting their sound to simulate the sound of a plucked lute. The term denotes the whole family of similar plucked-keyboard instruments, including the smaller virginals, muselar, and spinet. ...
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Merrill Ashley
Linda Michelle Merrill (born December 2, 1950), known professionally as Merrill Ashley, is an American former ballet dancer and ''répétiteur''. She joined the New York City Ballet in 1967, was promoted to principal dancer in 1977, and retired in 1997. She is one of the last dancers to have worked with George Balanchine, and coaches his works since she stopped performing. Early life Linda Michelle Merrill was born on December 2, 1950, in Saint Paul, Minnesota, and raised in Rutland, Vermont. She started ballet at age seven. In 1964, at thirteen, she entered the School of American Ballet full-time with a scholarship. Career She joined the New York City Ballet in 1967, making her debut as a corps dancer in ''A Midsummer Night's Dream''. As there was another dancer named Linda Merrill, she performed under the stage name Merrill Ashley. She was promoted to soloist in 1974 and principal dancer in 1977. Ashley was known for her speed. She was one of the last dancers to have worked wit ...
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Helgi Tómasson (dancer)
Helgi Tomasson (born October 8, 1942) is an Icelandic artistic director and principal choreographer for San Francisco Ballet, and a former professional ballet dancer. Since assuming leadership of San Francisco Ballet, he has helped transform the company from a respected regional troupe to one of the world's great classical ballet companies. He is originally from Iceland. Early life Tomasson was born in Vestmannaeyjar, Iceland to Tómas Bergur Snorrason and Dagmar Helgadóttir. He began his ballet training in Reykjavik with a local teacher and went on to join the National Theatre’s affiliated school, which at the time was led by Erik and Lisa Bidsted. He has a younger half brother, graphic designer Guðjón Ingi Hauksson. Career Tomasson's professional dance career started at age 15 with the Pantomime Theatre in Copenhagen’s Tivoli Gardens. At age 17, he was discovered in his homeland by choreographer Jerome Robbins, who arranged a scholarship for Tomasson to study a ...
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Peter Martins
Peter Martins (born 27 October 1946) is a Danish ballet dancer and choreographer. Martins was a principal dancer with the Royal Danish Ballet and with the New York City Ballet, where he joined George Balanchine, Jerome Robbins, and John Taras as balletmaster in 1981. He retired from dancing in 1983, having achieved the rank of danseur noble, becoming Co-Ballet Master-In-Chief with Robbins. From 1990 until January 2018, he was solely responsible for artistic leadership of City Ballet. Early life Martins was born and raised in Copenhagen, Denmark.Mary Ellen Snodgrass (2015)''The Encyclopedia of World Ballet,''Rowman & Littlefield. His parents were Børge Martins, an engineer, and Tove Christa Ornberg, a pianist. His maternal aunt and uncle, Leif and Elna Ornberg, members of the Royal Danish Ballet, started teaching him ballroom combinations when he was five years of age; when he applied to ballet school, however, he was the subject of discrimination because his aunt and uncle had ...
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Patricia McBride
Patricia McBride (born August 23, 1942 in Teaneck, New Jersey) is a ballerina who spent nearly 30 years dancing with the New York City Ballet. McBride joined the New York City Ballet in 1959. She became a principal in 1961, becoming the company's youngest principal. She danced with the company for 30 years, including roles created for her by choreographers George Balanchine and Jerome Robbins. New York City Ballet career In the 30 years she spent dancing with the company she had numerous roles created for her by George Balanchine such as: Hermia in ''A Midsummer Night's Dream''; Tarantella; Colombine in ''Harlequinade''; the ballerina role in the Intermezzo of the ''Brahms–Schoenberg Quartet''; ''Rubies''; '' Who Cares?'' ("The Man I Love" pas de deux and "Fascinatin' Rhythm" solo); Divertimento from ''Le Baiser de la Fée''; Swanilda in ''Coppélia''; ''Pavane''; the paper ballerina in ''The Steadfast Tin Soldier''; the Pearly Queen in ''Union Jack'' and the "Voices of Spri ...
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Susan Hendl
Susan Coxe Hendl (September 18, 1947 – October 12, 2020) was an American ballet dancer and ''répétiteur''. She danced with the New York City Ballet between 1963 and 1983, then staged and coached works by George Balanchine and Jerome Robbins for both NYCB and other companies. Early life Susan Hendl was born in New York City to Walter Hendl, a composer and conductor, and Mary Newbold Hendl (née Williams), a visual artist. After Walter Hendl became the Dallas Symphony Orchestra's music director, the family relocated to Dallas. Susan Hendl took a ballet class with Alexandra Danilova, a Russian-born ballerina who taught at the School of American Ballet, when Hendl was in preschool. Following her parents' separation, she and her mother moved to Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania, and she continued her training with Pennsylvania Ballet founder Barbara Weisberger. In 1959, Hendl entered the School of American Ballet in New York City and studied at the Professional Children's School. Caree ...
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Karin Von Aroldingen
Karin Anny Hannelore Reinbold von Aroldingen (9 September 1941 – 5 January 2018) was a German ballet dancer. She danced as a soloist at the Frankfurt Opera Ballet before joining the New York City Ballet in 1962 after receiving a personal invitation from George Balanchine. She was named as one of Balanchine's main beneficiaries in his will. Von Aroldingen retired from New York City Ballet in 1984, having reached the rank of principal dancer in 1972. In her later life, she worked as a répétiteur for the Balanchine Trust, for which she was also a founder, staging his ballets for various companies. Early life Karin von Aroldingen was born on 9 September 1941 in Greiz, Germany. Her family, part of the German nobility, was originally from Berlin but evacuated during World War II. Her father, a scientist, disappeared on his way to Czechoslovakia for a work trip. Her mother moved the family from East Germany to West Berlin after the war ended. She became interested in dancing ...
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Bettijane Sills
Bettijane Sills is an American ballerina. Sills has had a long career in theater and as a soloist in the New York City Ballet. During her career, she danced for both George Balanchine and Jerome Robbins. Biography Sills was born and raised in New York City, the daughter of Michael Siegel, a Broadway musician/singer who also performed with the Boston Pops. Sills began acting as a child, appearing in Broadway productions, including the musical 'Seventeen', and television programs, including 'Studio One' and The Children's Hour.' She studied dance at the School of American Ballet, and was accepted to both the acting and dance programs at the New York High School of Performing Arts (the ''Fame'' school now called LaGuardia High School of Music & Art and Performing Arts). She chose to major in dance. Career She was invited by George Balanchine to join New York City Ballet in 1961. She was promoted to Soloist in 1964, and danced principal roles in many works, including ''Western ...
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Christine Redpath
New York City Ballet (NYCB) is a ballet company founded in 1948 by choreographer George Balanchine and Lincoln Kirstein. Balanchine and Jerome Robbins are considered the founding choreographers of the company. Léon Barzin was the company's first music director. City Ballet grew out of earlier troupes: the Producing Company of the School of American Ballet, 1934; the American Ballet, 1935, and Ballet Caravan, 1936, which merged into American Ballet Caravan, 1941; and directly from the Ballet Society, 1946. History In a 1946 letter, Kirstein stated, "The only justification I have is to enable Balanchine to do exactly what he wants to do in the way he wants to do it."Alastair Macaulay, "A Paragon of the Arts, as Both Man and Titan"
(review of Martin Duber ...
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Robert Weiss (dancer)
Robert Weiss is an American ballet dancer, choreographer, and Artistic Director of Carolina Ballet. He began his professional career at age 17 joining the New York City Ballet under George Balanchine, eventually becoming a Principal Dancer sometime prior to 1977.Terry, Walter. ''Ballet Guide''. Popular Library, 1977 Balanchine created several roles for him, including Ballo della Regina.Clive Barnes: ''Carolina Does Taylor-Corbett''. Dance Magazine, Sept 200/ref>New York City Ballet: Repertory - Ballo della Regina
Weiss remained with the New York City Ballet for 16 years. He later served as

John Clifford (choreographer)
John Clifford is an American producer, director, author, choreographer, and dancer. He was the founder and artistic director of the original Los Angeles Ballet (1974–85) and the chamber-sized touring ensemble, Ballet of Los Angeles (1988–91). Before that time, Clifford was a principal dancer and choreographer (8 ballets before age 26) with George Balanchine’s New York City Ballet (1966–74). Balanchine invited him back as a guest artist numerous times, and his last performances with the company were in 1980. Clifford was the artistic director of Robert Redford's Sundance Institute Video/Choreographer Program and produced “Pas De Deux,” a video distributed by Video Artists International (VAI). His new for-profit dance company Los Angeles Dance Theater produced for Warner Bros Theatre Ventures, Inc. a dance version of Casablanca; CASABLANCA: The Dance. The production premiered on April 5, 2005 at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing, China. Mr. Clifford is a senio ...
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