George Balanchine

George Balanchine (born Giorgi Melitonis dze Balantchivadze; in Georgian: გიორგი მელიტონის ძე ბალანჩივაძე; in Russian: Георгий Мелитонович Баланчивадзе) was a Russian choreographer, dancer, actor, and director of Georgian origin, born in Saint Petersburg on 22 January 1904 and died in New York on 30 April 1983.

A knee injury quickly ended his dancing career, but his activity as a choreographer continued to develop, making him one of the most influential choreographers of the 20th century and a pioneer of ballet in the United States. Co-founder and ballet master of the New York City Ballet, he laid the foundations of neoclassical ballet based on his profound knowledge of romantic ballet. His work on body lines and his play with imbalance in movement contributed to shaping a new style that would be called “Balanchinean”. Renowned for his musical ear, he did not write scores but expressed music through dance and primarily worked with Igor Stravinsky, 22 years his senior.