George Balanchine is like ballet royalty. Mention his name to any dance buff, and they’re likely to spout off about the New York City Ballet, the musicality and complexity of his choreography, or perhaps — if they’re a Chautauquan — his influence on Chautauqua’s own School of Dance. Yet those very same people probably wouldn’t be able to detail the Balanchine that came before all the fame and success.
Chautauqua Dance’s student gala is like a buffet. It serves up a little taste of everything: a sweet smackerel of classical ballet, a fresh morsel of new choreography and a savory glimpse of student performers ranging all across the skill spectrum of dance.
Patricia McBride’s mother enrolled her in dance classes when she was 7 years old because she thought she could use a little more grace. She had no way of knowing that her daughter would someday become a world-renowned ballerina.
One came to George Balanchine a teenager and was transformed into a star of the New York City Ballet. The other came to Balanchine a star of the Paris Opera Ballet.
Both will forever work tirelessly to keep Balanchine’s legacy alive.
Jean-Pierre Bonnefoux and Patricia McBride will tell Chautauquans about their lives with Balanchine — as they refer to the American ballet master with respect and admiration.
The Chautauqua Dance Circle will host the lecture from the two Balanchine dancers at 3:30 p.m. today in the Hall of Christ.
Bonnie Crosby, co-founding president of the Chautauqua Dance Circle, never really cared much for Gene Kelly.
“My ideal dancer was Jacques d’Amboise,” Crosby said. “He was tall, he had very Slavic features — high cheekbones — he was a fabulous dancer with the New York City Ballet, and Gene Kelly was a hoofer.”
Still, she chose to center the CDC’s first lecture program, “Gene Kelly: Dancer and Innovator of the American Style,” about the revered “prince of Pittsburgh.”
The Chautauquan Daily 