Choreographer
Georgian-American choreographer George Balanchine revolutionized 20th-century ballet by synthesizing classical technique with modernist abstraction, founding New York City Ballet and establishing an enduring American classical ballet tradition.
Defining moments and milestones
Balanchine began as a dancer and choreographer in post-revolutionary Petrograd before joining Sergei Diaghilev's Ballets Russes in Paris, where he created over one hundred ballets and established himself as a modernist visionary. Immigrating to America in 1933, he founded the School of American Ballet and subsequently New York City Ballet, institutions through which he transformed classical ballet into a distinctly American art form characterized by speed, musicality, and abstract formal innovation. His ballets—from the lyrical Serenade to the austere Agon—remain foundational works of the modern ballet canon, and his pedagogical legacy continues to define how classical ballet is taught and performed worldwide.
Founded New York City Ballet (1948) and established the American classical ballet tradition through seminal works including Serenade (1934), Apollo (1928), Agon (1957), and The Nutcracker (1954), fundamentally reshaping 20th-century dance
Imperial Ballet School, Petrograd (graduated 1921)
A chronological journey through key moments
Recordings featuring George Balanchine in the Society index
Additional recordings will appear here as the catalog expands.