History and mission of New York City Ballet

Ballet NYC - History and Mission

The History and Mission of the New York City Ballet

Edgar Degas's painting, entitled Dance Class at the Opera, shows four women dressed in beautiful, almost ethereal looking ballet dresses, complete with sashes at the waist and perfect buns.

Some of the women are waiting and others are preparing for what the viewer believes, will be a fantastic program. Degas was able to portray movement, passion, and the belief that the ballerinas were preparing for something in such a distinctive, yet persuasive way, that the viewer can't help but be pulled into the painting. This is often the case with ballet, a form of art, of dance, unparalleled by others, yet studied by many. The grace, discipline and pain that come with ballet are not only studied, but should be admired as well. As a short introduction to ballet, this paper will focus on the New York City Ballet (NYCB). In this capacity, it will provide both the evolution of this institution historically, and focus on the role that its mission statement has played upon the organization.

History of the NYCB

The story of the NYCB starts in 1933. Though the institution we know today was neither established nor constructed in that year, the fodder for what would become the NYCB was, in fact, concocted in 1933. The history thus begins with Lincoln Kirstein, who envisioned an American sort of ballet, not French, nor Russian, and who wanted young dancers to be trained and schooled in this capacity. Kirstein also wanted the best teachers and masters to both teach and dance at the new institution. This was because during the 1800's ballet troupes had to travel constantly, and could thus not be based solely in one city. Furthermore, Kirstein wanted the ballet to be ingrown, rather than transported to America from Europe. It is for this reason that he wished for native dancers.

Thus, Kirstein went to Europe in search for his masters and met George Balanchine in London in 1933, who was trained in Russian Ballet. The two thus embarked upon the treacherous journey to create the American ballet, but there were many frustrations and incidents during these years. For instance, the first performance of Kirstein's new school was postponed, and the first tour collapsed. Many ballet companies formed and dissolved, and finally, efforts ceased completely during World War II. It seemed, for a while, that the NYCB was never to be realized. Yet after the Second World War, the two partners once again came back to New York and presented the first steps in the 1940's when the Kirstein found anew company of which to be part.

It was not until the late 1940's, however, that the first ballet is truly realized. And, it was not until 1964 that the NYCB had its own theater. Today, of course, the company is world renown, and has 90 dancers and an active repertory of over 150 works. The company has its "headquarters" at Lincoln Center in New York City, though the name 'Lincoln' has nothing to do with Kirsten. Yet, it is important to realize that the NYCB could have never happened without this man and his partner, Balanchine.

Mission Statement of the NYCB

The two men above formed the NYCB with two goals in mind: producing and performing ballet that can reimagine classical dance principles. Thus, the Mission Statement of the NYCB focuses on the following:

1. preserving "the ballets, dance aesthetic, and standards of excellence created and established by its founders," and

2. developing "new work that draws on the creative talents of contemporary choreographers and composers, and speaks to the time in which it is made."

The statement also promises to expand ballet outreach through various programs and has as its symbol the Lyre from Orpheus.

Mission Statement Influence upon the NYCB

This section will expand upon how the mission statement above has influenced the company. First, it must be mentioned that, from its incipience, the NYCB was like no other ballet company. Thus, the mission statement was not only formed in a critical time, but was upheld for decades after. A mission statement, it is important to note, must include various principles in order to be effective. According to one website, such principles must include, "the basic question of why the organization exists, and describe the needs the organization was created to fill," as well as provide for "the basis for judging the success of an organization and its programs [through adherence to] its primary purpose and serve as a touchstone for decision making during times of conflict." Furthermore a mission statement must be utilized as a tool for both resources and donor, volunteer and community involvement.

With regards to the definition above, the NYCB certainly fulfills its roles. The mission statement is strong, without being over-imposing, and also allows for creativity in the first part, and involvement in the second part. Furthermore, through its recent innovations, both in the dance and otherwise, the NYCB has been able to fulfill all the parts in the mission statement criteria mentioned above, with a specific outlook towards the third facet (i.e. media involvement which spurs on community involvement).