silvy Posted February 18, 2004 Share Posted February 18, 2004 I wonder if there is a biography of Balanchine that concentrates more on him as a person, not as a choreographer? Everything I have read so far is very much focused in his work, the NYCB, etc. silvy Link to comment
Alexandra Posted February 18, 2004 Share Posted February 18, 2004 Balanchine always said "it's all in the programs." He's one of those artists whose life does seem to have been in the theater. But no, there's no biography I know of that omits his work and concentrates on him as a person. Link to comment
dirac Posted February 18, 2004 Share Posted February 18, 2004 There's no equivalent among Balanchine books to Julie Kavanagh's "Secret Muses" biography of Ashton. Richard Buckle's book has something of what you're looking for, and Moira Shearer's "Balletmaster" although not impressive as a whole, has some shrewd observations. Arlene Croce's long-awaited book is due shortly, but I don't know where her emphasis will lie -- others might know more. Otherwise, I'd check out the books by ex-wives: Tamara Geva, Alexandra Danilova (a sort of wife:)), Zorina, and Tallchief have all weighed in. All of them are discreet, but there is some interesting reading to be done in the (vast) spaces between the lines. Francis Mason's collection of interviews, "I Remember Balanchine" is an excellent source regarding issues both aesthetic and personal. Link to comment
Guest Alice172 Posted May 15, 2004 Share Posted May 15, 2004 (edited) I used this book: "Balanchine" by Bernard Taper for an extensive multi-genre project on Balanchine for an English project last year. I really enjoyed it and yes, it does talk about his work, but that sort of is his life yea? It also does have a lot of personal information as well. I recommend it! Edited May 15, 2004 by Alexandra Link to comment
Ari Posted May 26, 2004 Share Posted May 26, 2004 Terry Teachout's book, All in the Dances, A Brief Life of George Balanchine, will be published by Harcourt in November. Link to comment
Recommended Posts