Balanchine technique or Balanchine method is the

ballet Ballet () is a type of performance dance that originated during the Italian Renaissance in the fifteenth century and later developed into a concert dance form in France and Russia. It has since become a widespread and highly technical form ...

performance style invented by dancer, choreographer, and teacher

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 ...

(1904–1983), and a trademark of the George Balanchine Foundation. It is used widely today in many of Balanchine's choreographic works. It is employed by ballet companies and taught in schools throughout North America, including the

New York City Ballet 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 ...

and

School of American Ballet The School of American Ballet (SAB) is the most renowned ballet school in the United States. School of American Ballet is the associate school of the New York City Ballet, a ballet company based at the Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts in New ...

, where it first emerged.

History

In 1924, Balanchine left the Soviet Union and joined

Sergei Diaghilev Sergei Pavlovich Diaghilev ( ; rus, Серге́й Па́влович Дя́гилев, , sʲɪˈrɡʲej ˈpavləvʲɪdʑ ˈdʲæɡʲɪlʲɪf; 19 August 1929), usually referred to outside Russia as Serge Diaghilev, was a Russian art critic, pa ...

Ballets Russes The Ballets Russes () was an itinerant ballet company begun in Paris that performed between 1909 and 1929 throughout Europe and on tours to North and South America. The company never performed in Russia, where the Revolution disrupted society. ...

in Paris as a choreographer and ballet master. After the death of Diaghilev in 1929,

Lincoln Kirstein Lincoln Edward Kirstein (May 4, 1907 – January 5, 1996) was an American writer, impresario, art connoisseur, philanthropist, and cultural figure in New York City, noted especially as co-founder of the New York City Ballet. He developed and s ...

persuaded him to come to the United States in 1934. There, with Kirstein as his partner, he founded the

in New York City. During his time in Europe, Balanchine had begun to develop his neoclassical style, partially as a reaction to the Romantic anti-classicism that had led to increased theatricality in ballet. His style focused more on dance movement and construction in relation to music than on plot or characterization. After he came to America, established his school, and eventually founded the

, he continued to refine the principles of training his dancers. During the course of his career, in which he choreographed more than 450 ballets, he continued to develop his style and technique of training. He became far and away the most prolific force in the nation's ballet community, which led to his long-enduring legacy.

Characteristics

Training in Balanchine technique allows dancers to utilize more space in less time, so that speed, spatial expansion and a syncopated musicality are enhanced. Specific characteristics include the following: * extreme speed and very deep ''plié'' * emphasis on line, with use of unconventional, asymmetrical, abstract arm and hand placement * pirouettes ''en dehors'' taken from a lunge in fourth position rather than the conventional ''plié'' in fourth * distinctive arabesque line with the hip open to the audience and the side arm pressed back * athletic dance quality.

Suki Schorer Suki Schorer is an American ballet dancer, ballet mistress, teacher, and writer. She danced with George Balanchine's New York City Ballet from 1959 to 1972. Suki Schorer teaches at the School of American Ballet, the official school of the New Y ...

has described the Balanchine

arabesque The arabesque is a form of artistic decoration consisting of "surface decorations based on rhythmic linear patterns of scrolling and interlacing foliage, tendrils" or plain lines, often combined with other elements. Another definition is "Foli ...

as "longer, stronger and bigger". Balanchine would instruct students to "reach for diamonds" in both directions so the dancer's hands are not relaxed, creating an elongated line.

The Balanchine Essays

Toward the latter part of his life, Balanchine talked about creating a "dictionary" of his technique, a visual reference for students of ballet, but never accomplished this goal.Gretchen Ward Warren, ''Classical Ballet Technique'' (Gainesville: University Press of Florida, 1989) Five months after Balanchine's death in 1983, the George Balanchine Foundation was formed to preserve his legacy. It embarked almost immediately upon the first of its major projects, ''The Balanchine Essays'' (2013), a video project produced and published by the foundation.The George Balanchine Foundation, website, The Balanchine Essays, http://balanchine.org.balanchine/03/balanchineessays.html. Retrieved 5 December 2015. Under the stewardship of chairman Barbara Horgan, the foundation fulfilled his wish by producing a series of video recordings demonstrating his technique. Former New York City Ballet principal dancers Merrill Ashley and Suki Schorer are the co-creators of the project, in which they demonstrate crucial aspects of Balanchine Style and Balanchine Technique (both registered trademarks of the George Balanchine Trust). ''The Balanchine Essays'' created by Ashley and Schorer, "provide over nine hours of visual discussion of Balanchine's interpretations of

classical ballet Classical ballet is any of the traditional, formal styles of ballet that exclusively employ classical ballet technique. It is known for its aesthetics and rigorous technique (such as pointe work, turnout of the legs, and high extensions), its ...

technique that are not only educational but also protect the high standards Balanchine himself set for his dancers". The project was directed by veteran television arts director

Merrill Brockway Merrill La Monte Brockway (February 28, 1923 – May 2, 2013) was an American television producer known for producing the PBS television series ''Dance in America''. Biography Brockway was born on February 28, 1923, in New Carlisle, Indiana. He ...

and produced by Catherine Tatge, with Barbara Horgan as the executive producer. The set of ten DVDs includes the following titles: ''Port de Bras & Épaulement, The Barre, Arabesque, Jumps, Pirouettes & Other Turns, Passé & Attitude, Transfer of Weight,'' and ''Pointe Technique and Pas de Bourrée''.

References

{{Ballet Ballet training methods

History

Characteristics

The Balanchine Essays

See also

References