School of American Ballet Celebrates 75th Anniversary

New York City Ballet: School of American Ballet 75th Anniversary Tribute / David H. Koch Theater / Lincoln Center, New York City / January 14, 2009

Patricia Delgado in Balanchine’s Serenade. Photo by Paul Kolnik.
I remember a time when it was informally called “The School,” as if the School of American Ballet, founded by George Balanchine and Lincoln Kirstein as the breeding ground for what would become the New York City Ballet, were the only teaching institution in America guaranteed to produce top-notch classical dancers. This was not the case even back then and it is certainly not the case now, but SAB is still the only American academy ranked with the schools of St. Petersburg’s Kirov Ballet (Balanchine’s alma mater), Moscow’s Bolshoi Ballet, and the Paris Opera Ballet.
The full article appeared in Voice of Dance (http://www.voiceofdance.org) on January 22, 2009. To read it, click here.