Balanchine's Ballerinas on What They Learned from Mr. B

George Balanchine famously wrote, that ballet “is a woman.” Four of his most celebrated women—Allegra Kent, Gloria Govrin, Kay Mazzo and Merrill Ashley—appeared onstage at Jacques d’Amboise’s National Dance Institute Monday evening to celebrate his legacy. The sold-out program, called “Balanchine’s Ballerinas,” included performances of excerpts from ballets closely associated with these women and a […]

When Balanchine Went Home

Dancers remember New York City Ballet’s historic 1962 tour.     Allegra Kent at curtain call with Balanchine, St. Petersburg. Photo by Bert Stern, Courtesy Stern.     Fifty years ago New York City Ballet toured five cities in the USSR—Moscow, Leningrad (St. Petersburg), Kiev, Tbilisi, and Baku. By any definition it was a historic […]