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Monument to Balanchine?


MJ

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Has anyone proposedor built a monument/memorial to George Ballanchine?

If not, where would you all propose one? Lincoln Center? NYC?

Some would say the NYCB is his memorial, as would I.

There is a statue of George m Cohan in Times Square, That plaza across the street from Lincoln Center with the funky clock would be appropriate.

MJY

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I'm not sure Balanchine would have wanted the theatre named after him - after all he called the company New York City Ballet not the Balanchine Ballet.

From a practical point of view, NYCB shares the theatre with City Opera perhaps they wouldn't find it appropriate. After all, NYCO had a founding director too.

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From Bernard Taper's biography of Balanchine: "When the New York State Theater was built at Lincoln Center, it was Balanchine's advice that was most heeded as to what the theatre should look like. 'I did the house with Balanchine in mind,' said the architect, Philip Johnson. 'I have always wanted to design a theatre for him.' And the New York City Ballet agreed to open the theatre formally on April 23, 1964, and to be the resident company."

Not only was the inclusion of the New York City Opera an afterthought, in recent years that company has never missed an opportunity to badmouth the acoustics and every other feature of the New York State Theater. Their most devout wish seems to be to leave it. I am a long-time fan of NYCO and admire much of what they've done. Nevertheless, it's been my opinion since 1983 that the place should be renamed the George Balanchine Theater.

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With the "remodernization" of Lincoln Center, are there any plans?

I'd love to see a fountain, one of those crazy, never has the same spout kind, put in and named after him. He seemed to change his mind a lot about the dancers/ballets and an erratic fountain...

okay, that was a bit dorkish. :o

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