Following Balanchine [Hardcover]

Professor Robert Garis (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: February 27, 1997

A long-time observer of George Balanchine describes his experience with and reactions to the great choreographer`s work. Handsomely illustrated with dramatic photographs of past and present members of the New York City Ballet, this fascinating book is both a major contribution to dance criticism and an absorbing chronicle of the education of one man`s taste."A valuable book that provides at once an interpretation of Balanchine`s ballets, a portrait of the intelligentsia that gathered around his enterprise, and the history of one mind`s delight as Garis, over four decades, watched and meditated on the unfolding of this great body of work"--Joan Acocella, dance critic "A unique and original book with two interwoven subjects: the Balanchine oeuvre in its history and development, and a critical account of the development of the author`s own connoisseurship."--John Hollander, Yale University"It serves--and marvelously--as the intellectual autobiography of a critic, and its retrospective of Balanchine`s changing emphases as an artist raises the bar for discussion of his American career."--Mindy Aloff, The New York Times Book Review"Revealing. . . . [A] masterly analysis. . . . For those who want a stimulating, very personal demonstration of why this choreographer mattered so much to tens of thousands, Following Balanchine is unbeatable."--Harris Green, Dance Magazine"A work of great distinction. . . . Truly valuable and precise books about art are rare enough, but much rarer is a satisfying book about the exact character and importance of serious criticism."--Anne Hollander, The New Republic"Passionate and informed, Garis bounces ideas off choreography with alacrity. The outcome is a special-and admittedly specialist-book brimming with enthusiasms, bristling with insight."--Allen Robertson, Time Out"The most valuable aspect of this book is [Garis`s] remarkable recall both of details of now lost ballets and of miraculous performances that he witnessed. . . . His praise for later Balanchine works is rich with captured imagery, and his recall of the unique dancing of Balanchine`s remarkable performers . . . reflects a passionate dedication."--Leland Windreich, Dance International "[This book] contains the greatest information on classical dance in the 20th century, leading into the 21st century. It is a critical work to read to be current in the world of le grand ballet."--Dance Magazine

Editorial Reviews

From Library Journal

Halfway through his book, Garis writes that in the 1950s, "following Balanchine was the most important experience of the arts for me." A professor emeritus of English at Wellesley College and occasional dance critic for the New Republic and Partisan Review, Garis was a passionate observer of the great 20th-century choreographer and of the New York City Ballet from 1945 to the present. In this personal memoir, he details his encounters with specific ballets and performances and shares his wonder, excitement, disappointment, and understanding. His engagement with the Balanchine enterprise defined his artistic aesthetic, and in the act of judging and expressing his opinions, he created his own intellectual, emotional, and professional identity. Garis has led a life dedicated to self-discovery through art, and his book is an homage to the artist who guided his development. Primarily of interest to balletomanes.?Joan Stahl, National Museum of American Art, Washington, D.C.
Copyright 1995 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 272 pages
• Publisher: Yale University Press (February 27, 1997)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0300070594
• ISBN-13: 978-0300070590
• Product Dimensions: 10 x 7.1 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.2 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,481,534 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #45 in Books > Arts & Photography > Performing Arts > Dance > Choreography

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

5.0 out of 5 stars A Classic, September 11, 2009

By 

Elizabeth Kendall - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Following Balanchine (Hardcover)

This is the most important Balanchine book - yet.
Rich and thoughtful, and astonishingly generous to readers, in its intimacy with the author's judgments, no, passions - about ballets, ideas, dancers, that the author deeply cared about.
Why haven't I read this book before? Why am I reading it only now? Anyway, it's precious.