What makes Balanchine such a great choreographer?
Well, I think there are a number of things. Sometimes it’s hard to put into words. I think first of all his ballets always add up to more than the steps. He manages to invest his choreography with emotions, poetry, that indescribable something that moves the spirit as well as pleases the eye. And I think in the end that’s what makes his ballets so great. The patterns, the way he uses the corps de ballet is very intricate. It’s like a kaleidescope. Everything changes without you being aware of how it changed. It’s suddenly not a line and they went into a new position and you see how it got there. It’s very intricate and organic. One thing moves into the next. You are constantly amazed at how he moves people from one place to the next. Also the movements in general. First of all the musicality of the steps contributes to the greatness of the works. Also the expansiveness of the movements, the speed, the range of speed of the movements – his choreography goes from extremely slow to extrem
