Following Balanchine

A long-time observer of George Balanchine describes his experience with and reactions to the great choreographer's work. Handsomely illustrated with dramatic photographs of past and present members of the New York City Ballet, this fascinating book is both a major contribution to dance criticism and an absorbing chronicle of the education of one man's taste."A valuable book that provides at once an interpretation of Balanchine's ballets, a portrait of the intelligentsia that gathered around his enterprise, and the history of one mind's delight as Garis, over four decades, watched and meditated on the unfolding of this great body of work"--Joan Acocella, dance critic "A unique and original book with two interwoven subjects: the Balanchine oeuvre in its history and development, and a critical account of the development of the author's own connoisseurship."--John Hollander, Yale University"It serves--and marvelously--as the intellectual autobiography of a critic, and its retrospective of Balanchine's changing emphases as an artist raises the bar for discussion of his American career."--Mindy Aloff, The New York Times Book Review"Revealing...[A] masterly analysis...For those who want a stimulating, very personal demonstration of why this choreographer mattered so much to tens of thousands, Following Balanchine is unbeatable. "--Harris Green, Dance Magazine"A work of great distinction...Truly valuable and precise books about art are rare enough, but much rarer is a satisfying book about the exact character and importance of serious criticism."--Anne Hollander, The New Republic"Passionate and informed, Garis bounces ideas off choreography with alacrity. The outcome is a special-and admittedly specialist-book brimming with enthusiasms, bristling with insight."--Allen Robertson, Time Out"The most valuable aspect of this book is [Garis's] remarkable recall both of details of now lost ballets and of miraculous performances that he witnessed...His praise for later Balanchine w...