The Rise of American Ballet

George Balanchine, a Russian immigrant who worked with Diaghilev in Paris in the 1920s, was a seminal figure in creating a uniquely “American” ballet tradition from the 1930s through the 1980s. During the Cold War decades following World War II, the image of America as an asylum resonated around the globe, and renowned performers flocked to the United States, drawn by the unshackled creative possibilities offered by a democratic society. Such remarkable dancers as Natalia Makarova, Rudolf Nureyev, and Mikhail Baryshnikov harnessed the American spirit’s exuberant potential and sparked a surging popularity for ballet here.



National Portrait Gallery, Smithsonian Institution

October 4, 2013
through July 13, 2014

Cick for enlargement

George Balanchine 1904–1983
George Platt Lynes (1907–1955)
Gelatin silver print, 1941
Read More →

Cick for enlargement

Peter Martins born 1946
Suzanne Farrell born 1945
Max Waldman (1919–1981)
Gelatin silver print, 1976
Read More →

Cick for enlargement

Mikhail Baryshnikov born 1948
Max Waldman (1919–1981)
Gelatin silver print, 1975
Read More →