School of American Ballet

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School of American Ballet is a classical ballet training institution founded in 1934 by George Balanchine and Lincoln Kirstein in New York City. The school served as the principal feeder for the New York City Ballet and influenced choreography associated with Jerome Robbins, Martha Graham, Igor Stravinsky, Leonard Bernstein, and Aaron Copland. Its pedagogy blends the Vaganova method, French dance tradition, and innovations developed alongside companies such as American Ballet Theatre, Paris Opera Ballet, and Royal Ballet.

History

The school was founded to create an American ballet company under the patronage of Lincoln Kirstein and the artistic direction of George Balanchine, aligning with patrons like Sergei Diaghilev's legacy and connecting to institutions including Juilliard School, Metropolitan Opera, Carnegie Hall, Museum of Modern Art, and Radio City Music Hall. Early associations involved dancers and teachers from Mariinsky Theatre, Bolshoi Ballet, Diaghilev's Ballets Russes, and choreographers such as Michel Fokine and Bronislava Nijinska. During wartime and the postwar era the school intersected with cultural figures like Leonard Bernstein, Aaron Copland, Adolph Bolm, and patrons such as Elizabeth Sprague Coolidge and John D. Rockefeller Jr., facilitating tours with venues including Lincoln Center, Sadler's Wells, and Paris Opera House. Later decades saw collaborations with companies and artists including Jerome Robbins, Paul Taylor, Twyla Tharp, Peter Martins, and exchanges with schools like Royal Danish Ballet School and Bolshoi Ballet Academy.

Training emphasizes ballet technique derived from Balanchine vocabulary influenced by Vaganova method, Enrico Cecchetti, Agrippina Vaganova, and the French schools associated with Pierre Beauchamp and François Delsarte. Students study technique classes, pointe work, variations, pas de deux, repertoire, and character dance alongside music study with faculty tied to Juilliard School, Curtis Institute of Music, New England Conservatory, and conductors linked to New York Philharmonic and Metropolitan Opera Orchestra. Repertoire training includes works by George Balanchine, Jerome Robbins, August Bournonville, Michel Fokine, Martha Graham, Twyla Tharp, and guest choreographers from Alonzo King, William Forsythe, and Christopher Wheeldon. Seasonal workshops and seminars have involved composers and musicians such as Igor Stravinsky, Sergei Prokofiev, Gustav Mahler, Philip Glass, and John Adams.

The faculty historically featured teachers and répétiteurs connected to George Balanchine, Lincoln Kirstein, and companies like New York City Ballet and American Ballet Theatre. Notable administrative figures have included directors and managers with ties to Lincoln Center, Paul Taylor Dance Company, Dance Theatre of Harlem, Brooklyn Academy of Music, and philanthropists from families such as Rockefeller family and Ford Foundation. Guest faculty and répétiteurs have come from institutions including Royal Ballet, Paris Opera Ballet, Mariinsky Theatre, Bolshoi Ballet, Boston Ballet, and choreographers such as Jerome Robbins, Peter Martins, Clarence de la Torre, and Susan Jaffe.

Performances and collaborations link the school to New York City Ballet seasons at Lincoln Center, joint projects with Juilliard School, touring with venues such as Kennedy Center, Carnegie Hall, Paris Opera House, Sadler's Wells, and international festivals including Edinburgh Festival, Spoleto Festival, and Jacob's Pillow. The school stages student workshops and annual productions that draw guest choreographers from Jerome Robbins, Twyla Tharp, Christopher Wheeldon, William Forsythe, Alonzo King, and music partnerships with New York Philharmonic, Metropolitan Opera Orchestra, American Symphony Orchestra, and ensembles like New York Chamber Symphony.

Admissions operate via audition processes that attract candidates from institutions such as Juilliard School, Belmont School of Music, Boston Ballet School, Royal Ballet School, and international academies including Vaganova Academy of Russian Ballet and Bolshoi Ballet Academy. Scholarship support comes from foundations and donors including the Rockefeller Foundation, Ford Foundation, National Endowment for the Arts, and private benefactors linked to Lincoln Kirstein's circle, enabling apprenticeships with New York City Ballet, trainee placements with American Ballet Theatre, and summer intensives connected to Jacob's Pillow, School of Dance, and conservatories like Curtis Institute of Music.

Category:Ballet schools in the United States