Balanchine: A Ballet Master
There are many great talents in the world of dance. Diagilev, Fokine, and Petipa all influenced the development of classical ballet, but there is one man whose talent surpassed everyone. Balanchine was a man who overcame many odds to become greater than his predecessors.
Born Georgi Melitonovich Balanchivadze in 1904, Balanchine was part of a musical family (Aloff). His father was a musician and composer, his brother a pianist, and sister a violinist. Even with all the music in his home, Balanchine believed he would become one of the Tsar's cadets (Balanchine 515). His mother had another idea.
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