THE TOP TEN AT NYCBallet

[GeorgeB fan]

I've only been going to NYCB for seven years. But within those years I've fallen completely in love with the ballet. But because of my short period of time going to the ballet I know I've miss the performances of a number of extraoridnary ballerinas. Because I'm a history buff by nature, I've done a lot of reading on the history of NYCB. Read biographies of Mr. Balanchine, Mr. Kirsten, of dancers and books about the history of NYCB. I've gone to New York Public Library for the Performing Arts and read old articles and reviews. With this information I've made a list of who I think are the ten greatest prima ballerinas in the history of NYCB. This is made up of ladies who I believe are the very best, mostly from the information I've read and also of the ballets that Mr. Balanchine created for them. My thinking is if he could create a masterpiece using this dancer, she must have been something wonderful. Here in my opinion are the ten best:

1. SUZANNE FARRELL

2. MARIA TALLCHEIF

3. TANAQUIL LeCLERCQ

4. VIOLETTE VERDY

5. PATRICIA McBRIDE

6. DIANA ADAMS

7. MERRILL ASHLEY

8. KARIN von AROLDINGEN

9. MELISSA HAYDEN

10. ALLEGRA KENT

Am I on the mark, or am I completely insane? Please tell me. Your opinion would be greatly appreciated! Thanks.

[Ari]

Interesting list, GeorgeB fan. I'd replace von Aroldingen with Patricia Wilde, a ballerina for whom Balanchine made Square Dance and Raymonda Variations, among other ballets. While von Aroldingen was important to Balanchine personally, I think that Wilde's legacy has been more lasting. I'd also like to see Kyra Nichols in there, but it's tough to say whom she should replace -- Ashley seems the likeliest candidate, but they're so hard to compare, each so important but for such different reasons.

[Farrell Fan]

It's very difficult to argue with your list, GeorgeB fan -- I think it's excellent. I might quibble with the order following Number One, but that's all it would be -- a quibble. I think some might have a problem with the inclusion of von Aroldingen, but I don't. Thanks for giving us something nice to think about.

I hadn't seen Ari's post before the above. I wondered about Ashley, too.

[GeorgeB fan]

Ari, I was thisclose at writing Kyra Nichols on my list, but I thought I should have as close as a historic list as possible. But that should not stop me from recognizing Nichols. In fact she is the sole reason I started going to NYCB. When I saw the videotape of Warner Bros. screen version of Balanchine's The Nutcraker and behold Nichols marvelous performance as Drewdrop I was hooked and I said to myself "I got to see this dancer in person!". And from the moment I first saw in Mozartiana, she became my all-time favorite ballerina. Any ballet she appeared in not only did I loved her performance, but for me she danced the defintive performance.

As for Patricia Wilde, thanks so much for reminding me of her. Which is a shame on my part. After seeing her wonderful performance in Square Dance (boy I wish NYCB would do the ordinary version with the dance caller) at the television screening tribute to Mr. Balanchine at the The Museum of Television & Radio in New York I should have definitely place her on the list. Thanks!

[Leigh Witchel]

I was going to say Marie-Jeanne, but I'm not sure she was in NYCB, only in the predecessor groups.

[Helene]

I was going to say Marie-Jeanne, but I'm not sure she was in NYCB, only in the predecessor groups.

According to Robert Tracy's book, Balanchine's Ballerinas, in the introduction to her Q&A,

Marie-Jeanne became a member of Ballet Society early in 1948.  Balanchine gave her a bravura solo in her role as the First Nymph in the choral ballet The Triumph of Bachus and Ariadne and she remained in the company during the first season it was the New York City Ballet.  She left to get married again in 1949, and she didn't return to NYCB until 1953, when she danced for a short time before retiring.

However, later in the interview section on Marie-Jeanne, the question is:

Why did you stay with the Ballet Russe when Balanchine went to New York to start Ballet Society?

To which her reply is,

He didn't invite me into Ballet Society...I did dance with the company later, just when it was becoming the City Ballet.

She then went on to describe her return, at the behest of Lincoln Kirstein, in which she tried to come back too fast, and was injured on tour, at which point she reports Balanchine as saying,

'You'd better go home.  You're like Joe Louis, you can't make a comeback.'

But her most important contributions were as a member of Ballet Caravan, where she created the leads in Ballet Imperial and Concerto Barocco, as well as in other choreographer's ballets. And, according to the book, as a guest with the Ballet Russe of Monte Carlo

Balanchine re-staged Serenade] for her then, adding a movement from the score that he hadn't used in the original production, and she danced all the female soloists.

[atm711]

I would pare it down to five, and let it go at that:

1. Tallchief

2. Farrell

3. Kent

4. McBride

5. Verdy

LeClercq would get my vote as 'the most interesting'.

[perky]

Fun topic GeorgeB fan! I'd keep all the ladies on your list, however I would change the order of two of them.

I would move Diana Adams from 6 to 3. I think she was his ideal of how a ballerina

should look and move, at least before Farrell came along. By that time Adams had retired. She was the central woman in the very important Agon, and created many memorable roles in Liebeslieder Waltzer, Episodes etc. She was to have been his original Titania in Midsummer until she became injured (or pregnant?)

I would move Allegra Kent from 10 to 6. Although she didn't have as many roles made on her as some of the other ladies due to her having 3 kids and some other problems, I think Balanchine was completely facinated by her and would made many more ballets for her if he could have. And well........I just love her!

[oberon]

How can you assign a ranking to artistry? Yes, it is fun to make lists. But this isn't tennis. All of the women mentioned were superb and unique; each had roles at which she excelled and each had her own perfume. Of the ones I saw dance, I loved them all and could never assign them a number.

[perky]

I understand your position Oberon, and you stated it quite lovely. However I'm sure it wasn't GeorgeB fan's or any other of us posters intention to cheapen the artistry of the ladies mentioned by listing them.

Many of us like to discuss,and if we are lucky enough to have seen them dance, remember just what it was about those dancers that was so unique and special.

[dirac]

I'm inclined to agree with oberon -- and there's so much more than artistry to think of -- there's time, circumstances, and the many what-ifs that a dancer's career involves. However, top-ten lists do give us an opportunity -- and thank you for the post, GeorgeB fan -- to make a few choices and defend them if need be. Anyway, I second atm711's list (from reading the various histories).

[dirac]

On second thought, I might substitute Adams for Kent.