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ROBERT GARIS
people in. The viable ballet repertory can hardly amount to more than
ten percent of the musical repertory, probably no more than two percent.
A ballet company therefore needs to have on hand a prolific major
choreographer even to have a hope of popular, not to mention artistic,
success. For my taste, there are at most three such choreographers work–
ing today, and therefore most of the large companies in the world are
worth seeing only because they have dancers of a caliber that no provin–
cial company can hope for. But even the most indulgent taste would say
that there are no more than about ten significant choreographers around.
It
is really a hopeless prospect. I am not saying that the foundation
money is wasted in being given to the provincial companies; I am say–
ing only that it is in the highest degree unrealistic to hope for any
large-scale results.
Granted all this it was wise of the foundation to give the money
mostly to schools in some way connected with Balanchine. The result of
this decision was that last year Boston saw two major modern ballets
that they might not have seen otherwise,
The Prodigal Son
(with Vil–
lella) and
Serenade,
and the year before Boston saw
Concerto Barocco.
But ballet is so peculiar that it was just this fact, that Balanchine's
disciples got the money, that aroused the most virulent attacks.
