Cause A Frockus

History of the NYC Ballet

Nov 16, 2016 | by Becky Oeltjenbruns

This has been a big year for me, filled with all sorts of personal milestones and moments of self-discovery. I’ve focused on my spiritual/emotional health and decided it’s time to actually take responsibility for my physical well-being (because I’ll be honest, I have not thought about that while cruising through the Culver’s drive-thru!). With my new eight-week fitness and nutrition journal in hand, I stand poised for change. Sandwina would be so proud…

On my bookshelf, tucked among the beloved Blu-Ray copy of Ghostbusters and The Thin Man movie set is an exercise video produced by the New York City Ballet. It’s seriously awesome – my sister clued me into it and there’s an intro from Sarah Jessica Parker. How have I let this gather dust?! In these videos they walk you through a typical ballerina’s stretch routine and show you some moves. The great thing for me, being a relatively clumsy person, is that there is plenty of material in there for the novice. To help keep me motivated, I have to find another angle. For me it’s history, so in honor of this new personal mission let’s chat about the history of the NYC Ballet.

First of all, as lovers of vintage, we have to admit there’s something special about New York City. This metropolis built on the dreams of hard-working immigrants, passionate entrepreneurs, and creative folks who don’t believe in coloring between the lines is the perfect setting for a ballet that breaks the mold. Founded in 1948, this dance company was soon known for its unique approach. Audiences didn’t really believe athletic and elegant could happily co-exist, or even complement each other, until the NYC Ballet burst onto the scene.

This bold vision lived in the brain of one person in particular: Lincoln Kirstein. He was a very interesting and influential character. Born in nearby Rochester at the turn of the century, his family moved to Boston when he was five. Eight years later he attended his first ballet and on this surface this moment may not seem super epic. Except that the ballet performance he saw was Anna Pavlova, the Russian prima ballerina of the age. I can only imagine how cool it was to be there and watch her live! (Check out this YouTube clip showcasing her most famous work, The Dying Swan.)

While this childhood memory later informed the trajectory of his career, his formative years were spent traveling, drawing, and writing. (There was even a stint at a stained-glass factory – a true Renaissance man!) By the late 1920s he was in all the avant garde circles – rubbing elbows with art curators while he was writing up a storm. A meeting with George Balanchine in 1933 set the stage for what will become the NYC Ballet. I would have loved to be a fly on the wall during this first meeting. The ballet company was Kirstein’s brain child, but Balanchine’s experience is what brought it to life. Debuting to the public under the name “American Ballet Company,” the troupe went on their first tour in 1935.

The years leading up to WWII prove to be prolific for this quirky and passionate group. What started out as a vision of training American ballet dancers with the leading masters of their time soon transformed to an even broader audience. A year after the tour, they focused on making original American content. With complete devotion, they made choreography that reflected the American experience – that channeled a voice independent of the shadow of European tradition. Much like our past article on the fashion face-off of 1973, at this time America was the rascal (not to be taken seriously on a global stage.) Certainly the forces of a world-wide conflict started to impact how America was perceived. Their artistic projects pay off as later that year Kirstein was appointed head of the Works Projects Administration Federal Dance Theater. The company toured internationally, bringing their performances first to Cuba and Latin America. Kirstein enlisted during WWII, but the dancing and innovation continued.

The war ends and in 1948 the NYC Ballet was born. Two years later the newly minted company stretched their legs gracefully over to London for an international performance. While their touring schedule expanded and training programs evolved, the common thread was the guiding hand of George Balanchine. He served as the Ballet Master until his death in 1983. That’s more than a half-century devoted to the advancement of dance. His constant mentorship molded the future of the company and its standing in the international arena.

Born in Russia in 1904, Balanchine’s introduction to ballet occurred much earlier than his future partner Kirstein’s. He was accepted to the prestigious Imperial Theater School at the young age of nine. Without a doubt he had a prodigy status. Now some people have to work hard to hone their gifts and while George worked hard, his genes definitely helped him out! His father was a composer and encouraged his love of music and the arts. Four years before his ballet training, he was already learning classical piano. (Yep – while I was in kindergarten trying to figure out the basics, he was already developing an advanced musical appreciation.) This comfort with music and movement allowed him to push the boundaries of contemporary choreography. Logistically, because he understood each side of a performance so intimately, it meant he could drive a performance from idea to completed work. I can’t help but think that this shared jack-of-all-trades background is what made Kirstein and Balanchine such a dynamic and successful duo.

It’s a pretty special combination when you think about the history of the NYC Ballet: a city during the time of huge artistic developments (like the founding of the Museum of Modern Art for example), a Renaissance man fresh to the burgeoning art scene and eager to make waves, a brilliant choreographer, and a country excited to forge an identity in the Euro-centric ballet world. As we always learn in our vintage travels, there are no accidents. Perhaps this is my new favorite example of that adage. What do you think?

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