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New York Ballet
By:
Published: September 29, 2006
Famous dancer Isadora Duncan once said, If I could tell you what it meant, there would be no point in dancing it.
As Duncan so acutely perceived, dance can communicate that which words cannot, and today's New York ballet scene is a thriving example of this concept. Even though ballet's relative popularity declined over the course of the 20th century, the art form remains expressive and innovative to this day.
New York ballet performances are produced by several principal companies, among them the New York City Ballet Company (NYCB), the New York Theatre Ballet and the American Ballet Theatre.
Becoming a professional dancer is highly competitive and in most cases requires intensive training from a young age. Ballet schools that groom dancers for acceptance into major international companies, such as the School of American Ballet (affiliated with the New York City Ballet), are as demanding as they are prestigious, sending many prospective dancers home with dashed hopes and injured feet.
For those who do survive training, however, the world of professional dance is a grueling one, featuring hours of practice before mirrors and comparatively little time in front of an audience. This can lead to a puzzling effect for dancers in performance; as NYCB company member Kyle Froman puts it, once they step onstage and suddenly don't have a mirror, they realize how grounding [the mirror] can be.
Ballet spectators, meanwhile, are treated to one of a phenomenal variety of plots and musical styles, ranging from Tchaikovsky's well-loved Nutcracker to dance adaptations of Shakespeare's plays. Still, all performances bear witness to the dancers' sophisticated ability to express a story through movement.
New York ballet was irrevocably influenced by the Ballets Russes, one of the most successful and earliest ballet companies in history. The Ballets Russes was known throughout Europe, performing from 1909 until 1929. Ballet was at the height of its popularity on the continent during these two decades, but the sensation of ballet slowly began to fade after the company's collapse in 1929.
Among others notable figures, the Ballets Russes produced choreographer-dancer George Balanchine, who emigrated to the United States in 1933 and founded the School of American Ballet. The school's doors opened three short months after Balanchine's arrival, and his efforts to train and coordinate students gradually helped to grow New York ballet into one of the world's premier ensembles.
In addition to its richness of dancing talent and multitude of ballet performances each year, New York City is home to the New York International Ballet Competition, which is held biannually. Applications for the competition are rigorous and require written records of the dancer's formal education and performance experience.
Female dancers must be between 17 and 23 years old and male dancers must be between 18 and 24 years old. With such strict requirements, competitors must maintain their focus for years to even achieve eligibility. The winners receive medals and monetary awards.
Whether in competition or performance, New York ballet remains expressive, dynamic and alive. Though greats like Balanchine have long since departed the city, New York ballet still communicates a magic that other performance styles cannot. Perhaps this is a part of why dancers pursue their art despite its many pressures — dance seems to speak through them.
Sources:
Froman, Kyle. Mirror Images available at http://www.nycballet.com/students/dancer/essays/mi rror.html?TierSlicer1_TSMenuTargetID=4792&Tier last accessed September 29, 2006.
Ballets Russes available at http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ballets_Russes, last accessed September 29, 2006.
George Balanchine available at http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/George_Balanchine, last accessed September 29, 2006.
New York International Ballet Competition Rules and Procedures 2007 available at http://www.nyibc.org/2007.htm#application, last accessed September 29, 2006.
Quotes available at http://www.geocities.com/joanymacaroni/quotes.html , last accessed September 29, 2006.
http://www.abt.org/, last accessed September 29, 2006.
http://www.nycballet.com/nycb/home/, last accessed September 29, 2006.
http://www.nytb.org/, last accessed September 29, 2006.
http://www.sab.org/, last accessed September 29, 2006.
As Duncan so acutely perceived, dance can communicate that which words cannot, and today's New York ballet scene is a thriving example of this concept. Even though ballet's relative popularity declined over the course of the 20th century, the art form remains expressive and innovative to this day.
New York ballet performances are produced by several principal companies, among them the New York City Ballet Company (NYCB), the New York Theatre Ballet and the American Ballet Theatre.
Becoming a professional dancer is highly competitive and in most cases requires intensive training from a young age. Ballet schools that groom dancers for acceptance into major international companies, such as the School of American Ballet (affiliated with the New York City Ballet), are as demanding as they are prestigious, sending many prospective dancers home with dashed hopes and injured feet.
For those who do survive training, however, the world of professional dance is a grueling one, featuring hours of practice before mirrors and comparatively little time in front of an audience. This can lead to a puzzling effect for dancers in performance; as NYCB company member Kyle Froman puts it, once they step onstage and suddenly don't have a mirror, they realize how grounding [the mirror] can be.
Ballet spectators, meanwhile, are treated to one of a phenomenal variety of plots and musical styles, ranging from Tchaikovsky's well-loved Nutcracker to dance adaptations of Shakespeare's plays. Still, all performances bear witness to the dancers' sophisticated ability to express a story through movement.
New York ballet was irrevocably influenced by the Ballets Russes, one of the most successful and earliest ballet companies in history. The Ballets Russes was known throughout Europe, performing from 1909 until 1929. Ballet was at the height of its popularity on the continent during these two decades, but the sensation of ballet slowly began to fade after the company's collapse in 1929.
Among others notable figures, the Ballets Russes produced choreographer-dancer George Balanchine, who emigrated to the United States in 1933 and founded the School of American Ballet. The school's doors opened three short months after Balanchine's arrival, and his efforts to train and coordinate students gradually helped to grow New York ballet into one of the world's premier ensembles.
In addition to its richness of dancing talent and multitude of ballet performances each year, New York City is home to the New York International Ballet Competition, which is held biannually. Applications for the competition are rigorous and require written records of the dancer's formal education and performance experience.
Female dancers must be between 17 and 23 years old and male dancers must be between 18 and 24 years old. With such strict requirements, competitors must maintain their focus for years to even achieve eligibility. The winners receive medals and monetary awards.
Whether in competition or performance, New York ballet remains expressive, dynamic and alive. Though greats like Balanchine have long since departed the city, New York ballet still communicates a magic that other performance styles cannot. Perhaps this is a part of why dancers pursue their art despite its many pressures — dance seems to speak through them.
Sources:
Froman, Kyle. Mirror Images available at http://www.nycballet.com/students/dancer/essays/mi rror.html?TierSlicer1_TSMenuTargetID=4792&Tier last accessed September 29, 2006.
Ballets Russes available at http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ballets_Russes, last accessed September 29, 2006.
George Balanchine available at http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/George_Balanchine, last accessed September 29, 2006.
New York International Ballet Competition Rules and Procedures 2007 available at http://www.nyibc.org/2007.htm#application, last accessed September 29, 2006.
Quotes available at http://www.geocities.com/joanymacaroni/quotes.html , last accessed September 29, 2006.
http://www.abt.org/, last accessed September 29, 2006.
http://www.nycballet.com/nycb/home/, last accessed September 29, 2006.
http://www.nytb.org/, last accessed September 29, 2006.
http://www.sab.org/, last accessed September 29, 2006.
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