Mazurka for Manhattan

George Balanchine (real name: Georgi Melitonovitch Balanchivadze) can probably lay as good a claim as any artist living to the title of master of arts. He does not paint, but he does just about everything else in topflight form.

In his teens in his native Russia, he was a fine classical dancer. By the time he left Russia in 1924 as a member of the touring "Soviet State Dancers"* and joined Diaghilev's Ballets Russes de Monte Carlo in Paris, he was just as good a dancer of character roles. At 20, he became Diaghilev's ballet master.

A Broken Knee. Balanchine is also a first-class musician. Although he never performs in public, his friend Igor Stravinsky insists that his piano playing is of "concert" caliber; on occasion, he has taken baton in hand, conducted the New York City Ballet orchestra in ballet performances. At 46, a U.S. resident for 17 years and a citizen for twelve, he is also, beyond doubt, the finest living choreographer. No one today can equal the lyric grace of his inventions, the cool classicism of his abstract designs. Totting up all of his various qualities, the Nation's exacting B. H. Haggin goes so far as to call him "the greatest living creative artist."

Last week Choreographer Balanchine got back to the first order of his artistry: for the first time since he broke his knee on a Paris stage more than 20 years ago, he danced in public. His worshipful City Center audience, the most faithful and fervent in Manhattan, could hardly get enough of him.

With time & money to do only three fresh works for his fast-developing young company this season (he did five last year, plus one for Britain's Sadler's Wells Theatre Ballet), Balanchine made one of them a sure-fire novelty. He decided to introduce his fans to the music of one of his favorite composers, Glinka ("the Verdi of Russia," says Balanchine), and one of his favorite dances, the fiery mazurka. Who could set its style better than Balanchine himself?

For the Public. After 20 years, he still had "enough muscles." Explains Balanchine: "I cannot sit in a chair and design ballets. I use my body a lot showing the dancers steps." In rehearsal, nonetheless, he found that though he was still long on muscles, he was a bit short on wind. In Mazurka, "all the time you run like mad."

So far as his audience was concerned on opening night, Balanchine could have stood stock-still in his red Boyar costume and brought the house down. But he didn't. Taking their turns at the swooping, heel-clicking runs with Mazurka's three other couples, Balanchine and his partner, Vida Brown, were the most spirited of the lot--even though he stood by between runs frankly panting. When the three-minute dance was over, City Center theater rocked with cries of "encore" and "Balanchine." Said Balanchine, who will dance the part once more this week: "You have to do little novelties for the public once in a while."

* Two of them: Dancer-Actress Tamara Geva, who became his first wife; Ballerina Alexandra Danilova, who became his second. Subsequent wives: Berlin-born Dancer Vera Zorina, from whom he was divorced in 1946, Oklahoma-born Ballerina Maria Tallchief, part Osage Indian, from whom he separated last month.

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