Balanchine Method
Also known as: Balanchine technique, the SAB style, New York City Ballet style, American neoclassical training
History & Cultural Context
George Balanchine (1904-1983) was trained in the Imperial school in Petrograd and carried that grounding with him when Lincoln Kirstein brought him to the United States, where the School of American Ballet opened in January 1934. Over the following decades he adjusted the classroom to what his choreography needed as the choreography itself changed, so the training that produced dancers in the 1950s is not identical to the training of the late 1970s. He wrote no manual and issued no syllabus; the method exists as an oral tradition passed on by teachers such as Suki Schorer and by generations of former company dancers now teaching across America and abroad. It spread through the regional American companies founded by Balanchine alumni and through the licensing of his ballets, which brings repetiteurs and their expectations into other companies. Its status is contested by some who argue that it is a house style rather than a method, and that argument is itself part of the honest account.
Cultural Significance
The training was built inside a company culture that treated the classical vocabulary as raw material to be recombined rather than a heritage to be preserved, and that ran on plotless one-act works, often to Stravinsky. Its aesthetic came to stand for a distinctly American ballet at a moment when American cultural institutions were consciously establishing themselves against European ones. Because Balanchine's ballets are licensed through a trust that sends stagers with them, the technique travels with the repertoire.
Characteristic Movement & Technique
The hip is allowed to open and release so that extensions go higher and the leg travels further, and the dancer is expected to move through and past the vertical rather than protecting balance. The foot in tendu and in the air is often winged, the hands are open with fingers separated rather than classically rounded, and arms can be angular, elongated or held in positions no earlier school would sanction. Attack is immediate, with steps started without visible preparation, weight carried forward on a high demi-pointe, and the accent placed so that the dancer arrives on the music rather than approaching it.
Partnering Dynamics
Pas de deux in this tradition is fast, weight-shared and often unconventional in its handholds, with the woman taken far off her own axis and returned, and lifts that read as continuations of momentum rather than as displayed feats. The partnering in the leotard ballets in particular treats the two dancers as a single moving structure, with supported promenades taken at speed and shapes that would be impossible for either alone. It is trained in the studio alongside repertoire rather than as a separate examined subject.
Competitive Context
There is no examination system attached to this training; assessment is by audition, by placement within the school, and by the annual workshop performances that function as the entry point to the company. Balanchine repertoire appears less often in international competitions than Petipa, partly because the ballets are licensed and cannot simply be taken up as a variation. Youth America Grand Prix and similar events have nonetheless become a route into American schools, so competition-trained students increasingly enter this training rather than emerging from it.
Regional Variations
What is taught in New York differs from what is taught in the regional companies founded by former Balanchine dancers, because each teacher carries the version of the technique current when they danced. Teachers from the 1950s emphasise different things than those from the 1970s, and there is real disagreement among alumni about which is authentic. Outside the United States the label is often applied loosely to any fast, high-extension, neoclassical training with no direct lineage at all.
Common Misconceptions
It is not a rejection of classical technique; it is an outgrowth of Imperial Russian training pushed toward speed and range, and the vocabulary underneath is orthodox. There is no official codified syllabus, so any claim that a particular set of exercises is the method should be treated as one teacher's account. The thin, long-limbed Balanchine body was a casting preference and an aesthetic of his company, not a requirement produced by or necessary for the training, and conflating the two has done real harm.
Peak Popularity
Signature Figures
- Pirouettes from a wide fourth with a straight back leg
- The winged foot in tendu
- Open, separated fingers
- Arrival on the beat rather than preparation for it
- High demi-pointe and forward weight
Notable Codifiers
- George Balanchine
- Lincoln Kirstein
- Muriel Stuart
- Alexandra Danilova
- Stanley Williams
- Suki Schorer
- Suzanne Farrell
Sources & Further Reading
Cultural & Historical Context
Balanchine Method emerged from New York City, United States during the 1934s—present day. Understanding the cultural roots, musical traditions, and social circumstances of this era enriches appreciation for the dance's characteristics and significance.
Formative Influences
Codifiers & Standardizers:
George Balanchine, Lincoln Kirstein, Muriel Stuart, Alexandra Danilova, Stanley Williams, Suki Schorer, Suzanne Farrell
Signature Movement Vocabulary:
Pirouettes from a wide fourth with a straight back leg, The winged foot in tendu, Open, separated fingers, Arrival on the beat rather than preparation for it, High demi-pointe and forward weight
Primary Source Documents
The Library of Dance contains public-domain primary sources for dance history. Copyrighted modern syllabi are indexed with purchase links to their respective copyright owners. Search by dance name or codifier to discover primary source documents.
Last reviewed: August 2026 — This dance profile synthesizes historical research, cultural documentation, and contemporary practice knowledge to provide authoritative context.
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