Kirstein, Lincoln (kûr`stīn, kĭr`–), 1907–96, American dance and theater executive and writer, b. Rochester, N.Y. One of the most significant figures in American ballet, Kirstein was cofounder of the American Ballet and the School of the American Ballet in 1934 and of Ballet Caravan in 1936. He is best known for helping to establish the New York City Ballet, and was its general director from 1948 to 1989. Together with choreographer George Balanchine Balanchine, George (băl`ənshēn'), 1904–83, American choreographer and ballet dancer, b. St.
..... Click the link for more information. he encouraged the development of a truly American style of dance. He was the author of many books on dance, including Dance (1935), a compendious history; Ballet Alphabet (1939); The Classic Ballet, Basic Technique and Terminology (with Muriel Stuart, 1952); Movement and Metaphor (1970); a history of the New York City Ballet (1973); and Ballet: Bias and Belief (1983).

A man of enormous refinement, varied interests, and definite tastes, Kirstein was also the author of numerous essays, a novel (1932), two books of poetry (1965, 1987), and several works on modern figurative artists, including the definitive biography of Elie Nadelman (1973) and two studies of Pavel Tchelitchew (1947, 1994). In the U.S. army during and after World War II, Kirstein was instrumental in recovering for their owners works of art plundered by Nazi officials during the war. As a producer he worked with the Shakespeare Memorial Theater at Stratford, Conn., and for many years presented the 12th-century musical drama The Play of Daniel annually at Christmas in New York. Kirstein has also promoted cultural exchange programs between Japan and the United States.

Bibliography

See his memoirs, Thirty Years with the New York City Ballet (1978), Quarry (1986), and Mosaic (1994).

Kirstein, Lincoln (Edward)

(born May 4, 1907, Rochester, N.Y., U.S.—died Jan. 5, 1996, New York, N.Y.) U.S. dance authority, impresario, and writer. He graduated from Harvard, where he founded the literary magazine Hound & Horn. Financially independent, he focused his artistic interests on ballet and in 1933 persuaded the choreographer George Balanchine to move to the U.S. to found a ballet school and company. The School of American Ballet opened in 1934; Kirstein was its director from 1940 to 1989. He and Balanchine jointly established a series of ballet companies, culminating in the New York City Ballet (1948), of which he served as general director until 1989. He wrote seven books on ballet, including the classic history Dance (1935).

Kirstein, Lincoln (Edward) (1907– ) writer, impresario; born in Rochester, N.Y. Heir to a Filene (department store) fortune, he fell in love with the theater as a child and was profoundly inspired by Anna Pavlova in 1920. After graduating from Harvard, he reviewed dance and theater for Horn and Hound, which he cofounded. In 1933 he recognized George Balanchine's talents, sponsored his emigration to the United States, and, to provide vehicles for Balanchine's talents, founded the School of American Ballet in 1934 and the American Ballet Company the following year. The American Ballet became attached to the Metropolitan Opera the following year, when Kirstein also ran Ballet Caravan. In 1946 Kirstein and Balanchine founded the Ballet Society, and in 1948 they moved to New York's new City Center as the directors of what became one of America's top-ranking companies, New York City Ballet. Officially retired in 1989, Kirstein remained a presence in the American dance world and intellectual life. He wrote several books, including Dance (1935) and Movement and Metaphor (1970), as well as poetry, and was founder-editor of Dance Index Magazine (1942–48).