New York City Ballet
NEW YORK CITY BALLET
NEW YORK CITY BALLET, one of the premier American dance companies, founded in 1948 by ballet artisans George Balanchine and Lincoln Kirstein, and originally known as the Ballet Society. The company's ballets were mostly Balanchine's creations, and he often used company classes at New York's City Center to rehearse a
choreographic technique. The signature costume of the company became black leotards, pink tights, and pink pointe shoes, primarily because of limited finances for costuming. Known for their beautiful and intricate footwork, Balanchine's dancers developed a distinctly American style of dancing, combining Russian, Italian, and French traditions with a unique flair for musicality and extreme emotional control.
BIBLIOGRAPHY
Garafola, Lynn, and Eric Foner, eds. Dance for a City. New York: Columbia University Press, 1999.
JenniferHarrison