Balanchine's Apprentice : from hollywood to new york and back / John Clifford.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Clifford, John, 1947- author.

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Clifford, John, 1947-.

Clifford, John.

Balanchine, George.

New York City Ballet--History.

New York City Ballet.

Ballet.

United States.

Genre:

Autobiographies.

Biographies.

History.

Physical Description:

1 online resource (295 pages)

Place of Publication:

Gainesville, Florida : University Press of Florida, [2021]

Summary:

"A talented young dancer and his brilliant teacher In this long-awaited memoir, dancer and choreographer John Clifford offers a highly personal look inside the day-to-day operations of the New York City Ballet and its creative mastermind, George Balanchine. Balanchine's Apprentice is the story of Clifford—an exceptionally talented artist—and the guiding inspiration for his life's work in dance. Growing up in Hollywood with parents in show business, Clifford acted in television productions such as The Danny Kaye Show, The Dinah Shore Show, and Death Valley Days. He recalls the beginning of his obsession with ballet: At age 11 he was cast as the Prince in a touring production of The Nutcracker. The director was none other than the legendary Balanchine, who would eventually invite Clifford to New York City and shape his career as both a mentor and artistic example. During his dazzling tenure with the New York City Ballet, Clifford danced the lead in 47 works, several created for him by Balanchine, Jerome Robbins, and others. He partnered famous ballerinas including Gelsey Kirkland and Allegra Kent. He choreographed eight ballets for the company, his first at age 20. He performed in Russia, Germany, France, and Canada. Afterward, he returned to the West Coast to found the Los Angeles Ballet, where he continued to innovate based on the Balanchine technique. In this book, Clifford provides firsthand insight into Balanchine's relationships with his dancers, including Suzanne Farrell. Examining his own attachment to his charismatic teacher, Clifford explores questions of creative influence and integrity. His memoir is a portrait of a young dancer who learned and worked at lightning speed, who pursued the calls of art and genius on both coasts of America and around the world" -- Provided by publisher.

Contents:

Meeting “Mr. B.”

Eugene Loring’s American School of Dance

Balanchine’s ballet of Los Angeles and the Danny Kaye Show

School of American Ballet (part 1) : my first trip to New York

Back to Los Angeles : Sir Anton Dolin ; “Western Ballet” ; Maya Plisetskaya and the Bolshoi Ballet

Guatemala ; Variations for four ; London

School of American Ballet (part 2) : choreography and teachers Stanley Williams, André Eglevsky, and Pierre Vladimiroff

School of American Ballet (part 3) : New York City Ballet and its ballerinas

My first Balanchine class and entry into the New York City Ballet

New York City Ballet corps ; Piano lessons ; Paul and Suzanne

Balanchine at work : jewels ; My first NYC reviews ; More classes and the kiss

Balanchine’s last seminar on teaching

My first principal role, Valse fantaisie : the SAB workshop goes public

More solos and Peter Martins’s début

Jacques d’Amboise and Edward Villella : technique and personality

Slaughter on Tenth Avenue and that “Greek” ballet

Age 20 : my first ballet for New York City Ballet

Teaching at SAB : Gelsey Kirkland as student ; The Bolshoi Ballet in NYC

Fantasies : Mr. B.’s suit ; More classes ; In-a-gadda-da-vida

Dances at a gathering : the return of Jerome Robbins

The 1969 spring gala preview : Dances at a gathering and Prelude, fugue, and riffs ; Suzanne Farrell resigns!

Monte Carlo and Rubies

Teaching at SAB : Gelsey Kirkland’s rise ; Reveries, my fourth ballet for NYCB at 22

Gelsey Kirkland and Maggie Black

Allegra Kent

“Coach” Balanchine

Balanchine’s tastes

Stars and stripes…and “panache!”

The Goldberg variations rehearsals ; PAMTGG 185

Choreographing elsewhere : San Francisco and Royal Winnipeg ballets

Berlin : Irina Kolpakova and Yuri Soloviev…and perhaps my own company!

The 1972 Stravinsky Festival : Balanchine triumphant!

The 1972 Soviet tour : Kiev, St. Petersburg, Tbilisi, Moscow

Back in New York : The Berlin films

The formation of my Los Angeles ballet (“Baby steps”)

The Paris Opera Ballet

Coppélia, Variations pour une porte et un soupir, The steadfast tin soldier, the New York Philharmonic Promenades, and my aborted Broadway début

The Los Angeles Ballet

A “guest artist” with the New York City Ballet

The end of my company, the death of Balanchine, and the end of an era

Epilogue.

Notes:

Description based on print version record.

ISBN:

0-8130-7201-8

OCLC:

1262324450