George Balanchine

George Balanchine was a Georgian-born choreographer and ballet master who became a towering figure in twentieth-century dance. Trained at the Vaganova Academy and Saint Petersburg Conservatory, he founded the School of American Ballet and served as artistic director of New York City Ballet, where he created some of the most influential ballets of the modern era. His achievements were recognized with the Presidential Medal of Freedom, Kennedy Center Honors, and the Handel Medallion. Balanchine's legacy reshaped ballet as an art form through his innovative choreographic approach and his enduring institutional contributions.