George Balanchine: The Ballet Maker

This is one of several volumes in the HarperCollins Eminent Lives series. Each offers a concise rather than comprehensive, much less definitive biography. However, just as Al Hirschfeld's illustrations of various celebrities capture their defining physical characteristics, the authors of books in this series focus on the defining influences and developments during the lives and careers of their respective subjects. In this instance, George Balanchine. Credit Gottlieb with attracting and then generously rewarding the interest of readers such as I who previously knew very little (if anything) about Balanchine. Even a summary of the key biographical details suggests that his life and career were extraordinary. The subtitle of this compact biography correctly but insufficiently describes him as "The Ballet Maker." True, Balanchine created a total of at least 425 ballets but it is much more important to note that according those best qualified to do so, during his lifetime and then since his death (on April 30, 1983), Balanchine is described as the greatest choreographer. Because there is already an abundance of information about Balanchine readily available from The George Balanchine Foundation (http://balanchine.org/01/bio.html) and other excellent sources, Gottlieb wisely and brilliantly focuses on what seems to him to be most remarkable about a man for whom "teaching was the heart and soul of his enterprise -- he was frequently quoted as saying that he would be remembered first and foremost as a teacher, not as a choreographer, [his] school now firmly in place as the premier training ground for ballet dancers in America. It taught the basics the way he wanted them taught, and he was secure in the competence of his teachers, who through the years included important dancers from his Russian past." He taught by example, by demonstration, not be words. But it is also true that Balanchine could "explain a step or role with a simple image that would uncannily convey his intentions." Here are two examples from one of his greatest creative achievements, The Prodigal: When explaining to the Prodigal's drinking companions how they should run their fingers up and down his (the Prodigal's) exhausted, nearly naked body as if to strip it further of worldly goods: "Like mice." When explaining to the Prodigal what to do when the Siren steps off of his legs as he lowers them to the floor: "You lower her like an elevator." According to Nathan Milstein, Balanchine "left an inheritance that consists of more than his works. He left his moral example, a considerable legacy: the strength and wholeness of his character; his directness, adherence to principle, and lack of greed....his devotion to his art; his independence of fashion, fame, and trappings of success." I am grateful to Gottlieb for so much. First, for helping me to understand and appreciate a man who "carried within him all of ballet, past and present, and was constantly redefining its future. Look

How does one possibly compress the life of Balanchine into a small, thin mini-biography? For if anyone had a "packed life" it was George Balanchine: careers at the Mariinsky, Ballet Russes, and of course the NYCB, five wives, many more "muses," a long and fascinating collaboration with Igor Stravinsky, and endless critical acclaim as the most important ballet choreographer of the 20th century. Even Bernard Taper's biography (much longer) feels oddly thin. Keeping this in mind, I think Robert Gottlieb's mini-biography is a success, much more so than Terry Teachout's simultaneous minibio "All in the Dances," which seems to be mostly rehashes of earlier published material. Gottlieb is a well-known editor and dance critic, and he was at the premieres of many of Balanchine's works. He also knew Mr. B and many of the NYCB's dancers, so the book has an insider/fan feel. Gottlieb also has a blunt and engaging manner of writing, which makes "The Ballet Maker" feel much less perfunctory than most minibios. Particularly his descriptions of Balanchine's ballets, of which Gottlieb is obviously a great and sincere admirer. Mr. B was a frustratingly opaque man, who was fond of repeating simple truisms ("Just do the steps, dear" or "It's all in the dances") while leading a very complex and perhaps unhappy life. Wisely, Gottlieb does not attempt to dissect every Balanchine relationship, or cover every event and ballet. The book is neatly divided into chapters (Balanchine as Teacher, et al.) that focus on a particular aspect of Balanchine. Gottlieb also has some unorthodox and interesting views about the man. You know how Mr. B often went on about creating a ballet because he remembered doing this or that as a student in the Mariinsky? The tone is always deliberately nostalgic. Gottlieb has a much different view of Balanchine's childhood -- that it was extremely lonely and scarred Balanchine for life. He theorized that Balanchine felt abandoned by his family (remember the social upheaval in Russia at the time) and was never able to form lasting attachments to women as a result. The pictures are few but well-chosen. In particular, there are some wonderful photos of Balanchine's last wife, Tanaquiel LeClercq, whose career was cut short by polio. Balanchine spent years caring for her day-and-night, and then divorced her quickly in a (failed) attempt to romance Suzanne Farrell. The story of LeClercq illustrates to me the fascinating paradox of Mr. B. Gottlieb can't explain it either, but as a "primer" on Balanchine it's insightful and well-written.