Find out everything about dance in USA, from information on some of the best American companies to dance auditions in USA.
“I’m just an old Broadway gypsy.”
Bob Avian
USA & Dance
Ballet, like all dance in general, has always had, has and will always have a prominent place in USA.
Ballet and dance have been a part of the United States of America since the country’s inception. The first ballet company in the United States was the Philadelphia-based French troupe of Pierre Gardel, which performed in 1790.
American ballet did not truly begin to develop, however, until the early nineteenth century when a number of small ballet companies began to spring up in cities across the country. The first professional ballet company in the United States was founded in 1834 by French dancer Antoine Bournonville. Based in New York City, the company toured extensively throughout the United States and Europe. Bournonville’s company helped to establish ballet as an art form in the United States and his work had a significant influence on the development of American ballet.
In the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, a number of Russian dancers and choreographers came to the United States and had a profound impact on the development of American ballet. Among these were Sergei Diaghilev and his Ballets Russes, which toured the United States in 1915, and George Balanchine, who founded the School of American Ballet in 1934.
The 20th century was a time of great change in the world of ballet. Many new styles and techniques were developed, and ballet began to gain a wider audience. American ballet reached a new level of prominence in the mid-twentieth century, thanks in part to the work of George Balanchine. He created a new style of ballet that was faster and more athletic than what had been seen before. His work was very popular with American audiences, and he helped to make ballet a more mainstream art form.
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The first part of the 20th century in the United States was dominated by European immigrants, who brought with them their own traditions of ballet and dance. American dancers such as Isadora Duncan and Martha Graham began to develop their own styles, which were more expressive and less constrained than the European ballet. American choreographers such as George Balanchine and Jerome Robbins also began to create works that blended elements of both ballet and modern dance.
The second half of the 20th century saw a growing interest in American dance, as works by American choreographers such as Alvin Ailey and Twyla Tharp began to be performed by major ballet companies around the world. American dance also began to influence popular culture, as seen in the popularity of jazz and tap dancing.
Today, ballet in America is performed by ballet companies all over the country. These companies range in size and scope, from small regional companies to large international organizations. American ballet companies frequently tour internationally, and American choreographers are sought after by ballet companies around the world. American dance is recognized as a major force in the world of dance, with American choreographers and dancers winning many of the most prestigious awards in the field.
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