Dancing For Mr. B.

I have seen the video Dancing For Mr. B. once when I was very young, and it was one of my favorite ballet documentaries. I love Balanchine's technique and choreography, and it has a special place in my heart. The first Nutcracker I ever performed was George Balanchine's The Nutcracker, and I had the opportunities to perform other works by him like Serenade, Stars and Stripes, and Raymonda Variations. 

 I will admit that I have always thought the best ballerinas are a little strange or crazy, especially some of the ones interviewed, but in a field such as ballet you almost have to be. I like how the video really shows how much the dancers admired Balanchine. I think it showed how influential he was, not only as a choreographer and teacher, but as a mentor to young students. It is one thing to be a great choreographer, but it is an entirely different thing to influence and touch people personally; to help them grow as a person and inspire them to be their best. I think that is one of the biggest reasons why Balanchine is such a phenomenal influence to the ballet world. 

I could probably talk all day about Balanchine's choreography and his technique, his works are some of my favorites. I am not sure exactly why. It may be the precision of the movements, the athleticism, the musicality, or all of it. Mostly, I think I love his works because they require such a high intensity of athleticism, which is not what most people think of when they think of going to watch a ballet. I've seen many choreographers try to duplicate works like his, but none of them turn out quite the same. You can see the intent of Balanchine's work, even if the piece is quirky and awkward. Everything has a placement, a motive. If a fingertip moves it was suppose to move and it has a reason. 

Needless to say, I very much enjoy the video we watched.