巴兰钦(1904～1983年)
Balanchine, George，原名Georgy (Melitonovich) Balanchivadze。
俄裔美籍舞蹈编导，也是纽约市芭蕾舞团的创办者和艺术总监（1948～1982）。原在皇家芭蕾舞学校学习，1925年离开苏联加入俄罗斯芭蕾舞团。1928年创作的《阿波罗》，具有独特的新古典主义风格，此後成为他的注册商标。他的突出表现引起美国人柯尔斯坦的极大兴趣，他邀请巴兰钦筹建美国芭蕾舞学校和美国芭蕾舞团。美国芭蕾舞团是纽约市大都会歌剧院的常驻芭蕾舞团体（1935～1938），但於1941年解散。1946年他与柯尔斯坦成立芭蕾舞协会，1948年发展成为纽约市芭蕾舞团。巴兰钦为该团创作了一百五十多个舞码，其中有全本的《胡桃钳》（1954）、《唐吉诃德》（1965）、《宝石》（1967），还编导过音乐剧和歌剧。巴兰钦与作曲家史特拉汶斯基合作无间，其舞蹈作品中有三十多部是用史特拉汶斯基的音乐。全世界几乎所有的主要芭蕾舞团都至少演出过巴兰钦的一个芭蕾舞曲目，他堪称是20世纪最伟大的舞蹈编导。
English version：
1904～1983年
Balanchine, George
Russian-U.S. choreographer, and cofounder and artistic director of the New York City Ballet (1948-82). After studying at the Imperial Ballet school, he left the Soviet Union in 1925 to join the Ballets Russes, where his choreography of Apollo (1928) exemplified the spare neoclassical style that became his trademark. His work impressed Lincoln Kirstein, who in 1933 invited “Mr. B.” to form the School of American Ballet and its performing group, the American Ballet. The group became the Metropolitan Opera's resident company (1935-38) but disbanded in 1941. In 1946 Kirstein and Balanchine founded the Ballet Society, from which emerged the New York City Ballet in 1948. Balanchine created over 150 works for the company, including The Nutcracker (1954), Don Quixote (1965), and Jewels (1967), and also choreographed musicals and operas. He collaborated closely with I. Stravinsky, setting over 30 works to the latter's music. Balanchine's work remains in the repertoires of many companies worldwide, and he is widely considered the greatest choreographer of the 20th century.