Balanchine: Russian-American Ballet Master Emeritus: Volume 1 - Softcover

At midnight in 1918, a hungry 14-year-old scuttles along the frozen streets of St. Petersburg. Bullets zip past his ears. Panting, he ducks into a doorway until the gunshots are heard no more. Then he runs to his Aunt Nadia’s apartment, clutching the raw fish he had stolen from the wharves controlled by the armies of the Russian Revolution. Will those bullets ever stop flying? Will he ever see his parents, sister, and brother again—or get enough to eat? Will the Imperial School of Theatre and Ballet reopen? To the world, this boy, Georgi Balanchivadze, now known as George Balanchine, became America’s legendary ballet master. His spectacular company, the New York City Ballet, continues his legacy. Dancers all over the globe perform his choreography. How did he do it? Author Reine Duell Bethany tells us how in a story of courage, humor, immeasurable creativity, and dauntless faith.

Reine Bethany is a ballet dancer and teacher.