In “Mr B” Jennifer Homans doesn’t look away from the darker side of George Balanchine’s character, but is willing to forgive him for the sake of his genius
There are few major cultural figures that Balanchine did not encounter. During his career he profited from the talents of composers such as Sergei Prokofiev, Richard Rodgers and Igor Stravinsky, and writers including Bertolt Brecht and Jean Cocteau. He worked with visual artists, too, notably André Derain, Henri Matisse and Pablo Picasso. Many of these collaborations gave rise to masterpieces, as when he joined up with Stravinsky on “Apollon Musagète”, “Orpheus” and “Agon”.
There is still drama in these later sections, but instead of revolution and world war it is the drama of ambition realised and thwarted, of professional triumph and jealousy, along with countless romantic entanglements. For Balanchine, dance was inextricably bound up with love and sex. “Everything a man does”, Balanchine said, “he does for his ideal woman.
Balanchine was a difficult boss. He could be generous—particularly with money, which he spent and gave away freely—but also petty and tyrannical. He created tensions in the company when he lavished attention on his latest favourite and shunted others aside.
Ms Homans doesn’t look away from the darker side of Balanchine’s character, but is willing to forgive him for the sake of his genius. “He existed to make dances, that’s all,” she writes—a verdict that redeems, if it does not excuse, his many sins. She offers a poignant, fully rounded portrait of a fascinating man and a revelatory account of the art to which he dedicated his life.
France Dernières Nouvelles, France Actualités
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