George Balanchine
George Balanchine, born Georgi Balantschiwadse in 1904 in St. Petersburg, was one of the most influential pioneers of neoclassical ballet. His path through life, which led him from St. Petersburg to various locations in Western Europe and finally to New York, reads like a journey through the history of dance over the last 100 years: rooted in the ballet world of tsarist Russia and strongly influenced by the aesthetic of Petipa, he joined the Ballets Russes and thus the avant-garde movement in Paris and changed his name to George Balanchine. In 1928 he created »Apollo«, his first masterpiece for Diaghilev’s dance troupe, and thus laid the foundation for his own aesthetic.
In 1933, Balanchine was invited to the United States by Lincoln Kirstein, a writer and patron of the arts, which gave him the opportunity to focus on developing his style with dancers specially trained for that purpose. Kirstein persuaded him to become director of a new ballet school, with a view to forming his own company. The School of American Ballet opened in 1934 with an educational concept which had been specially formulated by Balanchine. From the training of dancers, which always formed the basis of his understanding of dance, Balanchine’s path led him to choreography – and what was originally intended as a kind of exercise became his first American masterpiece, »Serenade«.
Further works were to follow at the Metropolitan Opera, for Hollywood and on Broadway, and more and more new ballets were created for his company, which from 1948 onwards became known as the New York City Ballet and which was soon to become one of the world’s leading dance ensembles. In addition to many new creations, including »Concerto Barocco« (1941), »The Four Temperaments« (1946) and »Orphée« (1948), Balanchine built an extensive repertoire based on his existing works. He was able to focus on honing his aesthetic, which had one goal in particular: with the utmost clarity, to make dancing of central importance as a way of making music with the body. The incarnation of this style, and one of the most important examples of New York modernism in the 1950s, was the ballet »Agon«. Further important works were created in the following two decades with »Liebeslieder Walzer« (1960), »Jewels« (1967), »Symphony in Three Movements« (1972), »Stravinsky Violin Concerto« (1972), »Chaconne« (1976), »Davidsbündlertänze« (1980) and »Mozartiana« (1981).
When George Balanchine died in New York on 3 May 1983, he left behind a life’s work comprising around 450 ballets, many of which still form part of the repertoires of the world’s great dance companies today.
Performances with George Balanchine
Ballett-Gala 2026
Cast on Monday 29. June 2026
Living Legacies
Cast on Friday 18. September 2026
Abo 6
Ticket information
Einen Wochentag und Lieblingsplätze wählen und fünf Vorstellungen in einer Saison genießen.
In diesem Abo sind folgende Vorstellungen enthalten:
| 10. Oktober 2025 | Fin de partie |
| 14. November 2025 | Falstaff |
| 09. Jänner 2026 | Manon |
| 08. Mai 2026 | Giselle (Ballett) |
| 29. Mai 2026 | Les Pêcheurs de perles |
| 18. September 2026 | Living Legacies |
| 20. November 2026 | Madama Butterfly |
| 08. Jänner 2027 | Die verkaufte Braut |
| 05. März 2027 | Un ballo in maschera |
| 25. Juni 2027 | I Capuleti e i Montecchi |
Living Legacies
Cast on Saturday 19. September 2026
Ballettzyklus »Familie«
Ticket information
Vom Jungen, der nicht erwachsen werden möchte, über ein humorvolles Tanzspektakel bis hin zur »perfekten Einführung in die Ballettkunst«: Für alle Menschen ab 10 Jahren lädt der Familienzyklus zum Träumen, Lachen und Verzaubern ein.
Alle Termine dieses Zyklus 2025/26
Living Legacies
Cast on Friday 25. September 2026
Living Legacies
Cast on Monday 28. September 2026
Ballettzyklus »Reise durch die Welt des Tanzes«
Ticket information
Werke bedeutender Choreografinnen und Choreografen führen durch die Tanzgeschichte – von Fokines Le Spectre de la Rose (1911) bis zu McGregors zeitgenössischem Yugen. Ein vielfältiges Spektrum der Ballettkunst erwartet Sie.
Living Legacies
Cast on Friday 22. January 2027
Abo 8
Ticket information
Einen Wochentag und Lieblingsplätze wählen und fünf Vorstellungen in einer Saison genießen.
In diesem Abo sind folgende Vorstellungen enthalten:
| 03. Oktober 2025 | Fin de partie |
| 23. Jänner 2026 | Idomeneo |
| 20. Februar 2026 | Luisa Miller |
| 17. April 2026 | Visionary Dances (Ballett) |
| 22. Mai 2026 | Eugen Onegin |
| 02. Oktober 2026 | Tosca |
| 13. November 2026 | La Fille du régiment |
| 22. Jänner 2027 | Living Legacies |
| 19. Februar 2027 | Der Rosenkavalier |
| 16. April 2027 | Così fan tutte |
Living Legacies
Cast on Friday 29. January 2027
Living Legacies
Cast on Monday 1. February 2027
Living Legacies
Cast on Saturday 6. February 2027
Ballettzyklus »Ballett³ zum Verschenken«
Ticket information
Quer durchs Repertoire des Wiener Staatsballetts mit drei vielseitigen Produktionen – das ideale Geschenk für alle, die das Ballett als Kunstform kennen lernen möchten.
Living Legacies
Cast on Sunday 7. February 2027
Abo 22
Ticket information
Einen Wochentag und Lieblingsplätze wählen und fünf Vorstellungen in einer Saison genießen.
In diesem Abo sind folgende Vorstellungen enthalten:
| 30. November 2025 | Věc Makropulos |
| 08. Februar 2026 | Jewels (Ballett) |
| 08. März 2026 | Nabucco |
| 03. Mai 2026 | Der fliegende Holländer |
| 28. Juni 2026 | Die Zauberflöte |
| 18. Oktober 2026 | Die Entführung aus dem Serail |
| 15. November 2026 | Madama Butterfly |
| 07. Februar 2027 | Living Legacies |
| 07. März 2027 | Un ballo in maschera |
| 18. April 2027 | Manon Lescaut |
Living Legacies
Cast on Thursday 11. February 2027
Abo 18
Ticket information
Einen Wochentag und Lieblingsplätze wählen und fünf Vorstellungen in einer Saison genießen.
In diesem Abo sind folgende Vorstellungen enthalten:
| 04. September 2025 | Otello |
| 16. Oktober 2025 | Così fan tutte |
| 05. Februar 2026 | Jewels (Ballett) |
| 28. Mai 2026 | Eugen Onegin |
| 25. Juni 2026 | Il trittico |
| 17. September 2026 | Le nozze di Figaro |
| 15. Oktober 2026 | Die Entführung aus dem Serail |
| 07. Jänner 2027 | Werther |
| 11. Februar 2027 | Living Legacies |
| 01. April 2027 | Parsifal |