Celebrating St. Petersburg festival

George Balanchine Symposium

The legacy of choreographer George Balanchine will be illuminated during a symposium Oct. 31-Nov. 1 at the Rackham Building and Auditorium.

"From the Mariinsky to Manhattan: George Balanchine and the Transformation of American Dance" will include Balanchine scholars and Balanchine-trained dancers who will discuss his career path from St. Petersburg, Russia, to New York City.

All events are free and open to the public.

The depth and scope of Balanchine's work has been compared to Mozart and he has been ranked with Picasso and Stravinsky as a titan of 20th century arts. By combining his Russian heritage with influences from American jazz, Balanchine revolutionized ballet and transformed American and world dance.

The symposium will feature a roster of renowned dancers associated with Balanchine. They include Maria Tallchief, former director of the Chicago Opera Ballet. Suzanne Farrell, director, Suzanne Farrell Dance Company at the Kennedy Center; Violette Verdy, former director, Paris Opéra Ballet; and Edward Villella, director, Miami City Ballet.

The Center for Russian and East European Studies and Department of Dance present the symposium, part of the festival, "Celebrating St. Petersburg: 300 Years of Cultural Brilliance."

Additional sponsors are: Institute for the Humanities, International Institute, LSA, Media Union, Office of the Provost, Office of the Vice President for Research, Institute for Research on Women and Gender, and the Department of Slavic Languages and Literatures.

For more information, visit http://www.umich.edu/~iinet/crees/stpetersburg/balanchine.html .

Friday, Oct. 31

Part I: "Mariinsky Years" 8:30 a.m.-12:30 p.m.

Moderator: Marian Smith, associate professor of music history, University of Oregon School of Music
Welcome: Daniel Herwitz, Mary Fair Croushore Professor and director, Institute for the Humanities; Bill DeYoung, professor of dance and chair, School of Music

"The Missing Man"
R. John Wiley, professor of music, School of Music

"From the Mariinsky to Manhattan and Back: What Balanchine Gained from Russia and What He Brought Back Home"
Elizabeth Souritz, dance historian, Institute for Research in the Arts, Moscow

"Balanchine and Raymonda: The Americanization of a Classic"
Lynn Garafola, adjunct professor of dance, Department of Dance, Barnard College

"Divertimento from: Le Baiser de la Fée Ghost Stories"
Stephanie Jordan, research professor in dance, Roehampton University of Surrey, London, and visiting fellow, Institute for the Humanities; Peter Boal, New York City Ballet

Part II: "Manhattan Years" 2-5:30 p.m.

Moderator: Jessica Fogel, professor of dance, School of Music

"Glorifying the American Woman: Balanchine and Josephine Baker"
Beth Genné, associate professor of dance, School of Music, and associate professor of art history, Residential College

"A Georgian Source for Serenade"
Tim Scholl, associate professor of Russian, Department of German and Russian, Oberlin College

" Episodes': Balanchine, Martha Graham, and Paul Taylor"
Angela Kane, head, Department of Dance Studies, University of Surrey

"The Influence of the Imperial Ballet on Balanchine's American Works"
Jane Pritchard, archivist and historian, London English National Ballet

Part III: "Reconstructing Balanchine" 9:30 a.m.-12:15 p.m.

Moderator: Peter Sparling, professor of dance, School of Music

"Back to Life: Reconstructing the Balanchine/Stravinsky Rénard"
Nancy Reynolds, director of research, Balanchine Foundation

"Seeing the Music and Hearing the Dance: Three Balanchine Scores Revisited"
Christian Matjias, assistant professor of dance and music, School of Music; Tina Curran, director, Language of Dance Center

"A Conversation with Maria Tallchief"
Maria Tallchief, former principal dancer, New York City Ballet, and former director, Chicago Opera Ballet. Interviewed by Francis Mason, writer, dance critic and editor of Ballet Review

Part IV: Balanchine's Popular Music 3-5 p.m.

George Shirley, Joseph Edgar Maddy Distinguished University Professor of Music, School of Music; Beth Genné; Christian Matjias

Part V: Creating with Balanchine

Moderators: Francis Mason; Beth Genné; Christian Matjias; Suzanne Farrell, former principal dancer, New York City Ballet, and director, Suzanne Farrell Dance Company, Kennedy Center, Washington, D.C.; Violette Verdy, former principal dancer, New York City Ballet, former director, Paris Opéra Ballet, and professor of dance, Indiana University; Edward Villella, former principal dancer, New York City Ballet, and director, Miami City Ballet

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