Balanchine Patrons — Balanchine Patrons

Tanaquil Le Clercq in Bourree Fantastique by George Balanchine

Introducing Balanchine Patrons

Balanchine Patrons’ purposes are to increase the number of companies performing George Balanchine’s ballets and the number of Balanchine ballets performed. Its members are concerned that Balanchine’s seldom-performed ballets will be lost unless they are taught to dancers and staged. Balanchine Patron members target their contributions to encourage ballet companies to perform George Balanchine’s ballets.

The organization will solicit proposals to stage Balanchine ballets from ballet companies around the world, assess those proposals, and forward them to its members for possible funding. Each member will decide whether to contribute to a particular ballet company’s proposal. Joining together multiplies the effect of individual donations and better encourages the staging of Balanchine ballets.

Balanchine Patrons is the only entity helping Balanchine enthusiasts come together to specifically support the staging of his ballets. It is the only entity open to financially helping any ballet company stage his works. Getting the ballets performed and in the muscle memory of today’s dancers preserves the master’s work for future generations. Funding ballet companies is critical now, after COVID has cancelled performance seasons and reduced company revenue.

Balanchine Patrons does not accept donations. Members will make their tax-deductible donations directly to ballet companies staging Balanchine ballets. The administrative costs of Patrons are being donated. Patrons already has $100,000 in pledges to fund Balanchine ballets.

Patrons is collecting additional pledges to support the staging of Balanchine ballets. When its $500,000 pledge goal is obtained, it will accept ballet company proposals to stage ballets. Balanchine Patrons will assess these proposals and send them to its members for possible funding. Funding proposals will be assessed on the following criteria:

the company’s artistic quality;
the company’s audience reach, including the number of proposed performances and expected attendance.

In addition, Balanchine Patrons will look favorably on proposals incorporating the following attributes:

the staging of a seldom-performed ballet;
co-production where multiple companies share production costs;
unique publicity, educational, and audience development strategies;
for ballets where such is missing, the recording of the work in a way to facilitate future stagings.

Frequently Asked Questions About Balanchine Patrons

How is Balanchine Patrons different than other entities formed to preserve George Balanchine’s legacy?

Patrons is the only entity designed to help Balanchine enthusiasts come together to support the staging of his ballets at ballet companies around the world. In contrast, The Balanchine Trust “is responsible for the business of licensing Mr. Balanchine’s ballets.” The Balanchine Foundation promotes Balanchine’s legacy with “research, ballet reconstructions, publications, lectures and videos.” The Balanchine Preservation Initiative at The Suzanne Farrell Ballet sponsored that single company’s staging of rarely seen or “lost” works. Unfortunately, The Suzanne Farrell Ballet ceased operation in 2017.

Why Promote Balanchine’s Ballets?

To the Balanchine enthusiast, watching his ballets is a joyful, life-affirming, and inspiring experience. It is natural to want to share this experience with others, no matter where they are located.

What is the Status of Balanchine Stagings?

Apart from New York City Ballet, the general trend, 1988 to 2019, is fewer staging of Balanchine ballets by fewer companies. In 1988, there were 128 stagings (a particular company staging a particular Balanchine ballet). In 2019, there were 71 stagings, a 45% decline. In 1988, 61 companies staged at least one Balanchine ballet. In 2019, 48 companies did so, a 21% decline. Going forward, Balanchine stagings will be negatively affected by the closure of companies that previously performed many Balanchine ballets. See Balanchine’s Choreographic Legacy.

How many seldom-performed Balanchine ballets are revivable? What is the artistic quality of these ballets?

We estimate that there are 93 Balanchine ballets of noteworthy artistic merit that are still able to be taught to dancers and performed. Sixteen of these ballets have not been performed in a decade and seem in danger of being lost. Another 13 ballets are rarely performed and also seem in danger of being lost. One might assume that seldom-performed ballets are inferior to the ones performed more often. But this is an incorrect assumption to make. Such ballets as La Source, Sonatine, Valse Fantaisie, and Symphonie Concertante have been revived to critical acclaim after long periods of going unseen. See Seldom-Performed Ballets.

How Does Balanchine Patrons Help Ballet Companies?

Financial pressures on ballet companies are severe in the wake of COVID, which cancelled performance seasons and reduced company revenue. Underwriting the staging of Balanchine ballets will be a great help to these companies. Furthermore, staging a Balanchine ballet aids in the development of a company’s dancers and audience.

Will Balanchine Patrons Fund New York City Ballet?

We recognize New York City Ballet’s (NYCB) status as the most important curator of Balanchine’s oeuvre. We are happy to see that besides performing a score of the master’s familiar ballets every season, NYCB also stages Balanchine’s less-often-performed works. We don’t feel we have much to add to NYCB’s efforts and expect our activities will be focused on other companies. An exception might be if NYCB co-produces a ballet with other companies.