13 replies to this topic

[Alexandra]

Ballet.co has had a poll asking if Balanchine was the greatest 20th century choreographer.  I thought it might be interresting to see what the take is here.

If you'd like to comment, please do.  (We had a similar discussion once that quickly went off the rails into a shouting match, but that's not going to happen this time, is it?    Those who think that Balanchine is the ONLY choreographer are entitled to that view, and those who think that Joe Blow was the world's greatest choreographer are entitled to that view.  Reasons welcome, of course.

[Hans]

I voted for "There isn't a 'greatest.'"  If the poll asked whether Balanchine was the most influential choreographer, I'd say "yes," (at least in the US), but I think others, such as Fokine and Ashton, were equally talented.

[Thalictum]

My thoughts exactly, Hans!

[Alexandra]

I'm the lone (so far) "I can only pick one?" but my thoughts are along the same lines as Hans and Thalictum.  I'd put Tudor up there, too.  And (on faith, because I haven't seen much of his work) Massine.

I'm basically pantheistic by nature

[lampwick]

Such a century and I can only pick ONE?

The question didn't state whether or not we were only talking about ballet choreographers (though I guess I should assume so ). Although I ADORE Balanchine's work and feel as though he took ballet and made it modern and exciting and pushed the artform forward...I'd be hard pressed to say that he was greater or more influencial then, say, Martha Graham.

For ballet though, in my mind he was the greatest. Not only for the works he created, but the legacy he left.

[Alexandra]

Yes, ballet choreographer -- unfortunately, there's a character/space limit in the subject line -- I had to drop "the" too

I just added a sub-headline to clarify -- but this is Ballet Alert!, after all!  It's safe to assume "ballet" unless otherwise stated.

[vrsfanatic]

I agree with Hans. Perhaps the most reknown and most influential (in the US).

[Alexandra]

Aw, please.... "Other" please write in!

[Victoria Leigh]

I don't really believe in "the" greatest anyone, but because I voted "Other", I must say Tudor!

[tortis]

It seems to me that Lincoln Center is responsible for the decline of the Arts.  In the beginning we had Rudolf Bing, Leonard Bernstein and Mr B.  

Whom do we have now?  James Levine is a phony and he seems to be dying lately but certainly is 'past it;' Lorin Maazel is dull as a deer antler and well, Peter Martins is not a great artist.

Rather than spend billions to fix Lincoln Center, it ought to be razed, along with Jiulliard to make way for apartments and shops.

So yes Mr B is the greatest and there will not be another great artist until Lincoln Center is torn down.

Edited by tortis, 05 June 2004 - 09:24 AM.

[bobbi]

Yes, of course, I voted for Balanchine as the greatest, and I would expand the time frame to greatest of any century!!

[atm711]

I voted for---"There is no greatest....."  Surely, Balanchine wins as the most prolific, but it was the works of Fokine and Tudor that showed me, early on, what Ballet was all about.

[carbro]

For his fecundity and range, I voted for Balanchine.    Of course, quantity itself is no measure of greatness, but the number of masterpieces, near masterpieces and merely first-rate ballets that, through the loving guidance of the Trust's ballet masters, are gaining prominence in the international repertory, attests to unparallelled influence since Petipa.

My aesthetic value system was formed by watching the Balanchine oeuvre.  Without the lessons I learned by watching his ballets,  I doubt that I would appreciate Petipa, Fokine, Bournonville, Ashton, Tudor or any of the other masters to the degree that I do.  

[Alexandra]

A related article, rather inflammatory (deliberately so, I'd suspect) can be found here for discussion:

http://balletalert.c...=0