When Connie Hochman was young, she attended the School of American Ballet, where George Balanchine reigned supreme. She later danced with the New York City Ballet and the Pennsylvania Ballet, becoming increasingly intrigued by the charismatic Balanchine. Wanting to write a book about him, she began to talk with his dancers in 2007 and soon realized that telling his story required a more visual medium. Many of her interviews, along with never-before-seen archival footage, are incorporated into this intriguing documentary.
Born in Russia, George Balanchine studied at the Imperial Ballet School in St. Petersburg and worked with Sergei Diaghilev’s Ballet Russes in Paris. In 1933, he moved from Europe to New York, where he helped found the School of American Ballet and the City Ballet. With his unique interpretation of classical dance, he revolutionized ballet in the United States. Focusing on the extremely arduous, daily morning class that Balanchine conducted, Hochman chronicles the growth and creative development of Heather Watts, Suki Schorer, Gloria Govrin, Merrill Ashley, along with Edward Villela and Jacques d’Amboise, who later founded their own companies.
Although Balanchine was relaxed and focused when he choreographed, he would not let outsiders watch his class. “He really pushed the dancers,” Hochman explains. “They were trying things. He wanted them to feel unselfconscious, uninhibited. If they fell or looked awkward, he wanted that privacy for them. This was their private place to learn and not be observed or judged.” Yet perfectionistic Balanchine permitted choreographer Jerome Robbins and dancer Christine Redpath to film, acknowledging them by waving to the camera. This exquisite documentary is aimed specifically at balletomanes. Recommended.