American ballet

Ballet made and performed in the United States, shaped by its companies, schools, artists, and repertory. It combines European ballet traditions with distinctively American institutions and styles.

Ballet in the United States before 1900: Ballet performances and training in the United States before the rise of permanent major companies. Early touring and local performances preceded the institutions that made American ballet sustainable.
New York City Ballet: A New York ballet company founded in 1948 by George Balanchine and Lincoln Kirstein. Its Balanchine-centered repertory became a major expression of American ballet.
Martha Graham: American dancer and choreographer who developed a modern dance technique centered on contraction and release. Her independent modern dance movement influenced the artistic environment surrounding American ballet.
Russian ballet: Ballet traditions developed in Russia, associated with imperial institutions, rigorous training, and influential classical repertory. Russian training and repertory were major inheritances that American companies adapted rather than simply reproduced.
Ballet in the United States during the Cold War: The growth and international promotion of American ballet during the geopolitical rivalry between the United States and the Soviet Union. Touring and cultural diplomacy gave American companies a prominent role in projecting national identity.
Sergei Diaghilev: Russian impresario who founded the Ballets Russes and reshaped modern ballet through commissioning and collaboration. His company's American tours introduced audiences and artists to influential modern ballet repertory.
School of American Ballet: A New York ballet school founded in 1934 to train dancers for George Balanchine's planned American company. Its training system has supplied generations of dancers to New York City Ballet and other companies.
Jerome Robbins: American choreographer and director whose work ranged from ballet and modern dance to Broadway and film. His ballets brought theatrical storytelling and American subjects into major company repertories.
French ballet: Ballet traditions originating in France, where the art form developed its terminology and influential theatrical conventions. French foundations clarify the European conventions American ballet inherited.
Ballet in popular culture: The representation and influence of ballet in film, television, music, and other popular media. American films and performances helped make ballet visible beyond theaters and specialist audiences.

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