- In full:
- Lincoln Edward Kirstein
- Born:
- May 4, 1907, Rochester, N.Y., U.S.
- Died:
- Jan. 5, 1996, New York, N.Y. (aged 88)
- Subjects Of Study:
- ballet
Lincoln Kirstein
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Who was Lincoln Kirstein?
Lincoln Kirstein (1907–1996) was an American dance authority, writer, impresario, and businessman known for his significant contributions to ballet in the United States. He collaborated with George Balanchine to establish the School of American Ballet in 1934 and several ballet companies, including the New York City Ballet, which Kirstein directed from 1948 to 1989.
Kirstein's artistic interests extended to literature. He founded and edited the literary magazine Hound and Horn while a student at Harvard University. His writings on dance include Dance (1935), The Classic Ballet (1952), and Thirty Years with the New York City Ballet (1978). Additionally, he founded and directed Dance Index, a magazine that became a major reference for dance scholars.
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What role did Lincoln Kirstein play in the world of dance?
Lincoln Kirstein was a major figure in the world of dance as an American dance authority, writer, and businessman. He collaborated with George Balanchine to establish ballet companies, including the New York City Ballet, which he directed from 1948 to 1989.
Kirstein also helped establish the School of American Ballet, which he directed from 1940 to 1989. In 1934, Kirstein and Balanchine founded the American Ballet, with Balanchine as choreographer. Kirstein founded Ballet Caravan in 1936 and cofounded Ballet Society in 1946. Together, Balanchine and Kirstein transformed the Ballet Society into the New York City Ballet, an influential and innovative ballet company.
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How did Lincoln Kirstein help create the New York City Ballet?
Lincoln Kirstein, an American arts advocate, played a pivotal role in establishing the New York City Ballet (NYCB). In 1933, Kirstein persuaded George Balanchine to come to the U.S., and their collaboration began. Together, they founded the School of American Ballet in 1934 and several ballet companies.
Kirstein cofounded the Ballet Society with Balanchine in 1946, which later became the New York City Ballet in 1948. From its inception, Balanchine served as artistic director until 1983, with Kirstein as general director until 1989, making NYCB an influential and innovative company.
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What was Lincoln Kirstein's relationship with choreographer George Balanchine?
Lincoln Kirstein and George Balanchine had a collaborative relationship that began in 1933 and lasted until Balanchine's death in 1983. In 1934, Kirstein convinced Balanchine to come to the United States, and together they founded the School of American Ballet. Kirstein and Balanchine also established several ballet companies, including the American Ballet (1934) and Ballet Society (1946), which later became the New York City Ballet in 1948. Kirstein served as the New York City Ballet's general director from 1948 to 1989, while Balanchine was the artistic director until 1983.
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Besides supporting dance, what kinds of books and writings did Lincoln Kirstein create?
Lincoln Kirstein was a multifaceted American figure who significantly contributed to the arts as a dance authority, writer, and businessman. Besides his profound impact on dance, including co-founding the New York City Ballet, Kirstein's literary works spanned various genres. He founded and edited the literary magazine Hound and Horn from 1927–34, which featured contributions from prominent writers such as T.S. Eliot and Ezra Pound. Kirstein's publications include Dance (1935), The Classic Ballet (1952), Movement and Metaphor (1970), and Nijinsky Dancing (1975). Additionally, he published poetry, plays, novels, memoirs, and critical studies on visual arts, motion pictures, music, and literature.
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How did Lincoln Kirstein's work influence arts and culture in the United States?
Lincoln Kirstein significantly shaped American arts and culture through his multifaceted contributions. As a dance authority, writer, and businessman, he co-founded the New York City Ballet and the School of American Ballet with George Balanchine, which had a profound and lasting effect on ballet in the United States.
Kirstein's efforts introduced innovative choreography and elevated ballet to new heights, fostering its growth and popularity. His literary works, such as Dance and The New York City Ballet, served as standard references, enriching dance scholarship. Additionally, his magazine, Dance Index, became a major resource for dance scholars, further solidifying his influence on the arts.
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Lincoln Kirstein (born May 4, 1907, Rochester, N.Y., U.S.—died Jan. 5, 1996, New York, N.Y.) was an American dance authority, impresario, writer, and businessman who collaborated with George Balanchine to found and direct the various ballet companies that eventually became the world-renowned New York City Ballet (directed by Kirstein from 1948 to 1989). Kirstein also helped establish the School of American Ballet, which he directed from 1940 to 1989.
Kirstein was born into a wealthy family. His aesthetic leanings were displayed early. While a student at Harvard University (B.S., 1930), he founded and edited (1927–34) a literary magazine, Hound and Horn, whose contributors included T.S. Eliot, Ezra Pound, and E.E. Cummings. Financially independent, Kirstein decided to devote his life to the support and promotion of the arts.
His artistic interests, which were always diverse, soon focused on ballet. He helped Romola Nijinska write the biography of her famous husband, Vaslav Nijinsky, and it was he who, in 1933, persuaded a young choreographer in Serge Diaghilev’s Ballets Russes, George Balanchine, to come to the United States, thus beginning an artistic collaboration that ended only with Balanchine’s death (1983). In 1934 Kirstein and Balanchine founded the School of American Ballet, with Balanchine as artistic director and Kirstein as director of theatrical sciences; in 1940 Kirstein became the school’s director. During the next decade the two founded several ballet companies that, while short-lived, had a profound effect on ballet in the United States. In 1934 they founded the American Ballet, with Balanchine as choreographer. Kirstein, an established author, wrote the librettos for several ballets (e.g., Transcendence and Billy the Kid). He also founded (1936) and directed Ballet Caravan, an ensemble of dancers recruited from the American Ballet and the school. In 1941 the Ballet Caravan merged briefly with the American Ballet, and then the combined company disbanded.
After serving in World War II, Kirstein returned to New York City and cofounded another dance troupe, Ballet Society (1946), with Balanchine as artistic director. In 1948 this troupe gave the premiere of Igor Stravinsky’s Orpheus (choreography by Balanchine), which is considered a landmark of modern dance. Kirstein and Balanchine then transformed the Ballet Society into the New York City Ballet, which became the most influential and innovative ballet company in the United States. From its founding (1948), Balanchine was its artistic director (until 1983) and Kirstein was its general director (until 1989).
Kirstein’s literary output was prolific and eclectic. His works on dance include Dance (1935), a standard reference work; The Classic Ballet (1952; with Muriel Stuart); Movement and Metaphor (1970); The New York City Ballet (1973); Nijinsky Dancing (1975); and Thirty Years with the New York City Ballet (1978). From 1942 to 1948 he edited Dance Index, a magazine that published scholarly, illustrated, and annotated monographs on the entire spectrum of dance topics. In bound form (seven volumes), Dance Index became a major reference work for dance scholars. Kirstein also published poetry, plays, novels, memoirs, and critical studies on the visual arts, motion pictures, music, and literature.