BALANCHINE lives! [excerpt]

Balanchine Lives!

a film by Michael Blackwood

(1998, 58 minutes, color)

Website
http://www.michaelblackwoodproductions.com/md_balanchinelives.php

With the participation of:
Karin von Aroldingen, Elyse Borne, Suzanne Farrell, Nanette Glushak, Susan Hendl, Barbara Horgan, Patricia Neary, Francia Russell, Edward Villella, Patricia Wilde, and others.

"When I die," George Balanchine stated in his most apocalyptic utterance, "everything should vanish." He did not expect his ballets to survive, and if it were up to him, they would no longer be seen. His dances are being staged more often than ever, abetted by the tireless efforts of his followers. This guarantees the unprecedented transfer of a major dance legacy from one generation to another, without diminishing the high standards of quality with which Balanchine always guided his productions.

Balanchine died in 1983, but his dances have lived on primarily because of the creation of the Balanchine Trust, established in 1987. He left his choreographies to some of his principal dancers, who have banded together to ensure the artistic integrity and fidelity of his ballets. This "team," imbued with the Balanchine technique, stages his work for ambitious dance companies around the world. These dedicated former principals are able to recollect the unique touch of their late mentor, while being kept flexible by the fresh new ideas put forth by the young bodies and minds of a new generation of dancers. Together they insure that the Balanchine flame will be kept alive well into the 21st century.

Filmed at rehearsals with members of Pacific Northwest Ballet, Pittsburgh Ballet Theatre, the Miami City Ballet, the Toulouse Ballet, Les Ballets de Monte Carlo, and the Bern Ballet.


© Michael Blackwood Productions 2011
All Rights Reserved

Category:

Film & Animation

Tags:

• balanchine
• george balanchine
• michael blackwood
• ballet
• documentary
• film