American Ballet Theatre, one of the foremost international dance companies of the 20th cent. It was founded in 1937 as the Mordkin Ballet and reorganized as the Ballet Theatre in 1940 under the direction of Lucia Chase and Rich Pleasant. It became the American Ballet Theatre in 1956. Its repertoire has included newly staged classical ballets and innovative modern dance works, many concerned with specifically American themes. Most of the company's seasons have been presented in New York City, but it has also toured throughout the United States, Europe, and the Middle East. In 1960 it was the first U.S. ballet company to dance in the Soviet Union.
George Balanchine Balanchine, George , 1904–83, American choreographer and ballet dancer, b. St. Petersburg, Russia, as Georgi Balanchivadze. The son of a composer, Balanchine attended the Imperial Ballet School, St. Petersburg, and performed in Russia.
..... Click the link for more information. , Adolph Bolm, Michel Fokine Fokine, Michel , 1880–1942, Russian-American choreographer and ballet dancer, b. Russia. He studied at the Imperial Ballet School (1889–98) and danced at the Maryinsky Theatre, St. Petersburg.
..... Click the link for more information. , Léonide Massine Massine, Léonide , 1896–1979, American choreographer and ballet dancer, b. Russia. Massine attended the Imperial Ballet School, St. Petersburg, and became principal dancer and choreographer for Diaghilev's Ballet Russe (1914–20) and for the Ballet
..... Click the link for more information. , and Bronislava Nijinska Nijinska, Bronislava , 1891–1972, Russian ballet dancer and choreographer; sister of Vaslav Nijinsky. She studied at the Imperial Ballet School in St. Petersburg and then joined the Maryinsky Theatre.
..... Click the link for more information. staged works for the company, as did the British choreographer Antony Tudor Tudor, Antony, 1909–87, English choreographer and dancer. Tudor went to the United States at the invitation of the Ballet Theatre, New York City (1939); he danced leading roles and created ballets for several English and American companies and was later the
..... Click the link for more information. , who was introduced to the American public with such works as Pillar of Fire (1942) and Romeo and Juliet (1943). Agnes de Mille de Mille, Agnes (Agnes George de Mille) , 1905–93, American choreographer and dancer, b. New York City; granddaughter of Henry George, daughter of playwright director W. C. de Mille, and niece of Cecil B. De Mille.
..... Click the link for more information. staged nearly all of her dance works for the company, including Fall River Legend (1948) and The Harvest According (1952). Jerome Robbins Robbins, Jerome, 1918–98, American choreographer and dancer, b. New York City as Jerome Wilson Rabinowitz. Robbins began his career dancing in musical comedy (1937).
..... Click the link for more information. 's Fancy Free (1944) and Michael Kidd's On Stage (1945) were created for the company, as were Alvin Ailey Ailey, Alvin, Jr. , 1931–89, American modern dancer and choreographer, b. Rogers, Tex. Ailey studied in Los Angeles with Lester Horton, whose strong, dramatic style and views about multiracial casting influenced his choreography and artistic direction.
..... Click the link for more information. 's The River (1970) and Twyla Tharp Tharp, Twyla , 1941–, American dancer and choreographer, b. Portland, Ind. An eclectic, innovative choreographer and dancer, she danced (1963–65) with Paul Taylor.
..... Click the link for more information. 's Push Comes to Shove (1976). Dancers who gained fame or reached their peak with the American Ballet Theatre include Alicia Alonso Alonso, Alicia (Alicia Martinez) , 1921–, Cuban ballerina and choreographer, b. Havana. Alonso danced in Broadway musicals before becoming a soloist with several leading companies, including the American Ballet Theatre, in 1939.
..... Click the link for more information. , Alicia Markova Markova, Dame Alicia , 1910–2004, English ballerina. Her original name was Lilian Alicia Marks. Markova joined Diaghilev's Ballet Russe in 1924 and, in 1931, the Vic-Wells Ballet (now the Royal Ballet), becoming its first prima ballerina in 1933.
..... Click the link for more information. , Erik Bruhn Bruhn, Erik , 1929–86, Danish ballet dancer, b. Copenhagen. Bruhn joined the Royal Danish Ballet in 1947 and became a soloist there in 1949. He was widely regarded as one of the world's foremost dancers, combining dramatic flair with a subtle precision of style.
..... Click the link for more information. , Nora Kaye Kaye, Nora (Nora Koreff), 1920–87, American ballerina, b. New York City. Kaye studied with Michel Fokine and Antony Tudor. She joined the Ballet Theatre in 1940 and scored a major triumph in 1942 in Pillar of Fire.
..... Click the link for more information. , and Natalia Makarova. Mikhail Baryshnikov Baryshnikov, Mikhail , 1948–, Russian-American dancer and choreographer, b. Riga, Latvia (then in the USSR). He studied in Riga and performed with the Kirov Ballet (1966–74).
..... Click the link for more information. was artistic director of the company from 1980 to 1989 and was followed in that position by Jane Hermann (1989–92) and Kevin McKenzie (1992–).
Bibliography
See study by C. Payne (1978).
American Ballet Theatre
Prominent ballet company based in New York City. It was founded in 1939 as the Ballet Theatre (the name was changed in 1958) by Lucia Chase and Richard Pleasant to promote works “American in character.” Oliver Smith replaced Pleasant as codirector in 1945; Mikhail Baryshnikov served as artistic director from 1980 to 1989 after dancing with the company in the 1970s. New ballets were created for the company by Agnes de Mille, Jerome Robbins, Twyla Tharp, and Antony Tudor; Michel Fokine revived many of his earlier works for them as well. Principal dancers have included Alicia Alonso, Erik Bruhn, Anton Dolin, and Natalia Makarova.