101 Stories of the Great Ballets

by George Balanchine, Francis Mason

182 Members 1 Review ½ (3.34)

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Authored by one of the ballet's most respected experts, this volume includes scene-by-scene retellings of the most popular classic and contemporary ballets, as performed by the world's leading dance companies. Certain to delight long-time fans as well as those just discovering the beauty and drama of ballet.

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1 review
jgcorrea2,325 reviews
Some ballets are abstract, like RIVERDANCE, IN THE UPPER ROOM,
BALLET IMPERIAL, CUMBRE FLAMENCA or DANCES AT A GATHERING for instance. But, yes, ballets can tell stories, and this is a key element of classical ballet. Story ballets have a plot, characters, and a beginning and end. Viewers can understand the story even though no words are spoken. The dancers, music, and costumes bring the stories to life on stage.
My personal favorites are
BELLE AU BOIS DORMANT, LA
ROMEU E JULIETA
LAC DU CYGNE, LE
BAYADÈRE, LA – THE TEMPLE DANCER
SPARTACUS
42ND STREET
DON QUIXOTE
ESMERALDA
Stone flower
Taming of the shrew
SYLPHIDE, LA
CINDERELLA
FILLE MAL-GARDEE, LA
ROMEO ET JULIETTE
NAPOLI
GISELLE
ONEGIN
A FOLK TALE
COPPÉLIA
IVAN THE TERRIBLE
CASSE-NOISETTE
KERMESSE show more IN BRUGGE
MAN from THE EAST
SALOMÉ
FRÖKEN JULIE
GREASE
HAIR
THE IDIOT
KISS ME KATE
BYE BYE BIRDIE
EASTER PARADE
LE PAVILLON AU BORD DE LA MER
ANNIE GET YOUR GUN
THE HOUSE OF BERNARDA ALBA,
PIPPIN
MAN OF LA MANCHA
DAPHNIS ET CHLÖÉ
RAYMONDA
OISEAU DE FEU, L'
DREAM, THE
ROMEO AND JULIET
THE SOLDIER'S TALE
WEST SIDE STORY
A CHORUS LINE
HALF A SIXPENCE
OLIVER!
FLORESTA AMAZONICA
FIREBIRD
GAITÉ PARISIENNE
SHEHERAZADE
RAINDOG
VIVA LAS VEGAS
CARMEN
RITE OF SPRING
THE FAIRY’S KISS
ELITE SYNCOPATIONS
SINGIN' in THE RAIN
BELLE OF NEW YORK, THE
PETROUCHKA
AN AMERICAN in PARIS
SERAIT-CE LA MORT (VIER ERNSTE LIEDER)
NOCES, LES
SEVEN DEADLY SINS, THE
PERSEPHONE
PULCINELLA
AGON
TRICORNE, LE
PICTURES OF AN EXHIBITION
SACRE DU PRINTEMPS, LE
THE MIRACULPOUS MANDARIN
Les Sylphides show less
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Mar 2, 2025Portuguese (Brazil)
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Author Information

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George Balanchine
25+ Works 485 Members
George Balanchine is considered one of the major figures in twentieth-century ballet. Born in St. Petersburg of Georgian heritage in1983, Balanchine studied ballet at the school of the Imperial Theatre. His first piece was choreographed while he was still a student there. After graduating from the school, he studied at the Petrograd Conservatory show more and formed his own dance company. Balanchine's innovations troubled authorities, however, and he defected while on a European tour with the Soviet State Dancers. After his defection, he worked with Sergei Diaghilev in Paris and choreographed several ballets for Diaghilev's Russian Ballet, including a Pastorale (1925), The Trimph of Neptune (1926), and two of his masterpieces, Apollo (1928) and The Prodigal Son (1929). When Diaghilev died in 1929, Balanchine worked for various companies before forming Les Ballets Russe de Monte Carlo in 1932. Then, in 1934, he was invited to the United States, where he formed the School of American Ballet in New York City. Serenade (1934), the first ballet he choreographed in the United States, became the signature piece of the company. After World War II, the American Ballet Company disbanded, and Balanchine directed a small dance company known as the Ballet Society. In 1948 this small company became the New York City Ballet, and Balanchine became its guiding light. Under Balanchine's creative genius and leadership, the New York City Ballet emerged as one of the premier dance companies in the United States. He created nearly 100 works of great variety for the company, including Agon (1957), Stars and Stripes (1958), Symphony in C (1959), Theme and Variations (1960), Ballo della Regina (1978), Davidsbundlertanze (1980), and Mozartiana (1981). The company, along with its ballet school, the School of American Ballet, has been a vital force in American ballet, producing distinctive dancers and works. In 1993 the New York City Ballet presented a major retrospective of Balanchine's works. (Bowker Author Biography) show less
Francis Mason
7 Works 256 Members

Common Knowledge

Canonical title
101 Stories of the Great Ballets
Original publication date
1975

Classifications

Genres
Nonfiction, General Nonfiction, Biography & Memoir
DDC/MDS
792.84 — Arts & recreation Recreation, sports, and performing arts Stage presentations Ballet and modern dance Ballet productions; specific productions in specific theatres or by specific companies; stories, plots, analyses, librettos, production scripts, stage guides
LCC
MT95 .B3 — Music Instruction and study Instruction and study Analysis and appreciation of musical works
BISAC
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Statistics

Members
182
Popularity
178,723
Reviews
1
Rating
½ (3.34)
Languages
English, Spanish
Media
Paper
ISBNs
3
ASINs
2