“In Apollo’s second variation, Balanchine hit on a startling image to convey that the god is conscious of his divinity. Twice Apollo stands in fourth position, forward left leg bent, left arm behind his back with clenched fist visible to his right, and with the right arm extended upward, the fingers of the right hand splayed like rays of light. Then, as the right fist clenches, the fingers of the left splay out. On—off; on—off. Balanchine said this idea came to him from watching an electric sign in Picadilly Circus.”
—George Balanchine: Ballet Master by Richard Buckle (affiliate link)
(top left) Serge Lifar. Roger Violett, 1928.
(top center) Jacques D’Amboise. Martha Swope, 1950s.
(top right) Edward Villella. Martha Swope, 1950s.
(bottom left) Mikhail Baryshnikov. Martha Swope, 1979.
(bottom center) Peter Boal. Jack Mitchell, 1990.
(bottom right) Peter Martins. Martha Swope, 1982.
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Jacques d’Amboise was the definitive interpreter of the role Apollo from 1957-1972.
In a 2016 interview for the Balanchine Foundation, Jacques reminisced; “Do you know, I did it for almost 20 years and I never achieved everything that could be in it.” Imagine….a work so rich that even 20 years isn’t enough time to discover every nuance of the role!
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Alexandra Danilova on Apollo and originating Terpsichore:
"Balanchine's idea for Apollo was that the three muses would be in love with this god. [...] It was an attraction between them, but cool, god-to-god, it was admiration, not passion—passion is human. In order to show that they are divine—superior, not ordinary—there could be no passion between them."
"Apollo gives each of the muses a gift. When he gave me the lyre, I was to appear to be very flattered because it meant that I was the epitome of dance. I always made sure that my first step as I walked away carrying the lyre was very light. [...]
"And if Balanchine was in love with a dancer, she became Terpsichore for him, his inspiration."
—Choura: The Memoirs of Alexandra Danilova (affiliate link)
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