Darci Kistler
Encyclopedia
Darci Kistler is a noted American ballerina
. She is often said to be the last muse for legendary choreographer George Balanchine
.
, the fifth child (with four older brothers) of a medical doctor and his wife. Her brothers excelled in amateur wrestling, and she followed them into water-skiing, basketball, football and horseback riding. However, at age 4 she received her first tutu
, and (figuratively) never took it off, beginning ballet training that same year. She claimed although she was always athletic, she could never keep to her brothers—so ballet turned out to be one cornerstone she had mastered. She studied with Mary Lynn at Riverside Ballet Arts and later with Irina Kosmovska in Los Angeles.
Kistler married New York City Ballet
's balletmaster-in-chief Peter Martins
in 1991. They have one daughter, Talicia Tove Martins, born in June 1996.
's School of American Ballet
(SAB), where she met Balanchine. She joined the New York City Ballet
(NYCB) corps de ballet in 1980, and was featured in a Time article before the end of the year.
Kistler was promoted to (NYCB) soloist in 1981 and principal dancer in 1982, the youngest ever at only 17 years. Signature rôles include Balanchine's Jewels
(Diamonds), Agon
, Prodigal Son and Symphony in C
. She danced the rôle of the Sugarplum Fairy in City Ballet's 1993 film version of The Nutcracker
.
During Balanchine's final illness, Peter Martins became the de facto leader of the NYCB, and was formally announced as its artistic director soon after Balanchine's passing.
Kistler married Martins in 1991. She joined the SAB's permanent faculty in 1994.
PBS Dance in America The Balanchine Celebration]
Ballerina
A ballerina is a title used to describe a principal female professional ballet dancer in a large company; the male equivalent to this title is danseur or ballerino...
. She is often said to be the last muse for legendary choreographer George Balanchine
George Balanchine
George Balanchine , born Giorgi Balanchivadze in Saint Petersburg, Russia, to a Georgian father and a Russian mother, was one of the 20th century's most famous choreographers, a developer of ballet in the United States, co-founder and balletmaster of New York City Ballet...
.
Biography
Kistler was born in Riverside, CaliforniaRiverside, California
Riverside is a city in Riverside County, California, United States, and the county seat of the eponymous county. Named for its location beside the Santa Ana River, it is the largest city in the Riverside-San Bernardino-Ontario metropolitan area of Southern California, 4th largest inland California...
, the fifth child (with four older brothers) of a medical doctor and his wife. Her brothers excelled in amateur wrestling, and she followed them into water-skiing, basketball, football and horseback riding. However, at age 4 she received her first tutu
Tutu
Tutu may refer to:* Ballet tutu, a type of costume for ballet performances* Tutu , poisonous New Zealand plants of the genus Coriaria* Tutu , a 1986 album by Miles Davis* Tūtū, a composition by Liliuokalani of Hawaii...
, and (figuratively) never took it off, beginning ballet training that same year. She claimed although she was always athletic, she could never keep to her brothers—so ballet turned out to be one cornerstone she had mastered. She studied with Mary Lynn at Riverside Ballet Arts and later with Irina Kosmovska in Los Angeles.
Kistler married New York City Ballet
New York City Ballet
New York City Ballet is a ballet company founded in 1948 by choreographer George Balanchine and Lincoln Kirstein. Leon Barzin was the company's first music director. Balanchine and Jerome Robbins are considered the founding choreographers of the company...
's balletmaster-in-chief Peter Martins
Peter Martins
Peter Martins is a Danish ballet dancer and choreographer. Martins was named man of the year by Danish American Society, 1980...
in 1991. They have one daughter, Talicia Tove Martins, born in June 1996.
Ballet
In early 1979 Kistler was selected to study at New York City BalletNew York City Ballet
New York City Ballet is a ballet company founded in 1948 by choreographer George Balanchine and Lincoln Kirstein. Leon Barzin was the company's first music director. Balanchine and Jerome Robbins are considered the founding choreographers of the company...
's School of American Ballet
School of American Ballet
The School of American Ballet is one of the most famous classical ballet schools in the world and is the associate school of the New York City Ballet, a leading international ballet company based at the Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts in New York City. The school trains students from the...
(SAB), where she met Balanchine. She joined the New York City Ballet
New York City Ballet
New York City Ballet is a ballet company founded in 1948 by choreographer George Balanchine and Lincoln Kirstein. Leon Barzin was the company's first music director. Balanchine and Jerome Robbins are considered the founding choreographers of the company...
(NYCB) corps de ballet in 1980, and was featured in a Time article before the end of the year.
Kistler was promoted to (NYCB) soloist in 1981 and principal dancer in 1982, the youngest ever at only 17 years. Signature rôles include Balanchine's Jewels
Jewels (ballet)
Jewels is an award-winning ballet in three parts created for New York City Ballet by co-founder and founding choreographer George Balanchine. It premièred on Thursday,...
(Diamonds), Agon
Agon (ballet)
Agon is a ballet for twelve dancers, with music by Igor Stravinsky and choreography by George Balanchine. Composition began in December 1953 and concluded in April 1957; the music was first performed on June 17, 1957 in Los Angeles conducted by Robert Craft, while the first stage performance was...
, Prodigal Son and Symphony in C
Symphony in C
Symphony in C may refer to:* a number of symphonies written in the key of C major** symphonies referred to by their key exclusively:*** Symphony in C major - Richard Wagner's Symphony in C...
. She danced the rôle of the Sugarplum Fairy in City Ballet's 1993 film version of The Nutcracker
The Nutcracker
The Nutcracker is a two-act ballet, originally choreographed by Marius Petipa and Lev Ivanov with a score by Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky. The libretto is adapted from E.T.A. Hoffmann's story "The Nutcracker and the Mouse King". It was given its première at the Mariinsky Theatre in St...
.
During Balanchine's final illness, Peter Martins became the de facto leader of the NYCB, and was formally announced as its artistic director soon after Balanchine's passing.
Kistler married Martins in 1991. She joined the SAB's permanent faculty in 1994.
Retirement
In February 2009 Kistler announced retirement from New York City Ballet at the end of the 2010 season. Her farewell performance took place on June 27, 2010, and consisted of ballets choreographed by Balanchine and Martins:- Monumentum pro GesualdoMonumentum pro GesualdoMonumentum pro Gesualdo is a ballet by New York City Ballet co-founder and balletmaster George Balanchine to eponymous music by Igor Stravinsky composed in honor of the 400th birthday of Don Carlo Gesualdo and consisting of Stravinsky's orchestrations of Don Carlo's madrigals...
- Movements for Piano and Orchestra
- A Midsummer Night’s DreamA Midsummer Night's Dream (ballet)A Midsummer Night's Dream is a two-act ballet choreographed by George Balanchine to Felix Mendelssohn's incidental music for Shakespeare's play of the same name. In addition to the incidental music, Balanchine incorporated other Mendelssohn works into the ballet including Overtures to Athalie, Son...
excerpt - Danses Concertantes
- Swan LakeSwan Lake (Martins)Swan Lake is a two-act ballet made by New York City Ballet balletmaster in chief Peter Martins after Marius Petipa, Lev Ivanov and George Balanchine to Tschaikovsky's eponymous music...
final act
Jerome Robbins
- AndantinoAndantino (ballet)Andantino, originally titled Pas de Deux, is a ballet made for New York City Ballet's Tschaikovsky Festival by balletmaster Jerome Robbins to the second movement of the composer's Piano Concerto No. 1 in B flat minor, Op. 23...
- Gershwin Concerto
- Piccolo Balletto
Peter Martins
- Adams Violin ConcertoAdams Violin ConcertoAdams Violin Concerto is a ballet made by Peter Martins, New York City Ballet's balletmaster in chief to eponymous music from 1994 by John Adams, commissioned jointly by the Minnesota Orchestra and City Ballet...
- Bach Concerto V
- Burleske
- The Chairman DancesThe Chairman Dances (ballet)The Chairman Dances is a ballet made by New York City Ballet balletmaster in chief Peter Martins to John Adams' eponymous music from 1985. The music was originally written for Adams' opera, Nixon in China, but not used in production: the scene is that in which Mao Zedong dances with his future...
- Delight of the MusesDelight of the MusesDelight of the Muses is a ballet made by New York City Ballet's ballet master in chief Peter Martins to eponymous music by Charles Wuorinen commissioned by City Ballet as part of its commemoration of the bicentennial of the death of Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart; the composer has taken fragments of...
- Guide to Strange Places
- Harmonielehre
- Morgen
- Octet NYCB premiere
- Piano-Rag-MusicPiano-Rag-Music (Martins)Piano—Rag Music is a ballet made by New York City Ballet balletmaster in chief Peter Martins to Stravinsky's eponymous music from 1919. The premiere took place on June 10, 1982, as part of City Ballets's Stravinsky Centennial Celebration at the New York State Theater, Lincoln Center.- Original...
- Romeo + JulietRomeo + Juliet (ballet)Romeo † Juliet is a ballet made by New York City Ballet balletmaster in chief Peter Martins to Sergei Prokofiev's Romeo and Juliet...
Lady Capulet - The Sleeping Beauty
- Stabat Mater
- Suite from Histoire du Soldat
- Symphonic Dances
- Symphony No. 1Symphony No. 1 (ballet)Symphony No. 1 is a ballet made by New York City Ballet balletmaster Peter Martins to Tschaikovsky's Symphony No. 1 in G minor, Op. 13, Winter Dreams...
- Tālā Gaisma
- Thou SwellThou Swell (ballet)Thou Swell is a ballet made by New York City Ballet's balletmaster in chief Peter Martins to the songs of Richard Rodgers in an arrangement by Glen Kelly with orchestrations Don Sebesky: *"Where or When" *"Manhattan"...
- Todo Buenos Aires
- Viva Verdi
George Balanchine
- AgonAgon (ballet)Agon is a ballet for twelve dancers, with music by Igor Stravinsky and choreography by George Balanchine. Composition began in December 1953 and concluded in April 1957; the music was first performed on June 17, 1957 in Los Angeles conducted by Robert Craft, while the first stage performance was...
- ApolloApollo (ballet)Apollo is a ballet in two tableaux composed between 1927 and 1928 by Igor Stravinsky. It was choreographed by balletmaster George Balanchine in 1928, the composer contributing the libretto...
- Brahms–Schoenberg Quartet
- BugakuBugaku (ballet)Bugaku is a ballet made by New York City Ballet co-founder and balletmaster George Balanchine to eponymous music by Toshiro Mayuzumi commissioned by City Ballet in 1962. The premiere took place on March 30, 1963, at City Center of Music and Drama, New York, with scenery by David Hays, costumes by...
- Concerto BaroccoConcerto BaroccoConcerto Barocco is a ballet made on students at the School of American Ballet by George Balanchine, subsequently balletmaster and co-founder of New York City Ballet, to Johann Sebastian Bach's Concerto in D minor for Two Violins, BWV 1043...
- EpisodesEpisodes (ballet)Episodes is a two-part ballet made by Martha Graham and George Balanchine to Anton von Webern's Symphony, Op. 21; Five Pieces, Op. 10; Concerto, Op. 24; and the Ricercata in Six Voices from Bach's Musical Offering which Webern had arranged in homage to Bach as Balanchine conceived the ballet as...
- The NutcrackerThe NutcrackerThe Nutcracker is a two-act ballet, originally choreographed by Marius Petipa and Lev Ivanov with a score by Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky. The libretto is adapted from E.T.A. Hoffmann's story "The Nutcracker and the Mouse King". It was given its première at the Mariinsky Theatre in St...
Dewdrop and the Sugar Plum Fairy - JewelsJewels (ballet)Jewels is an award-winning ballet in three parts created for New York City Ballet by co-founder and founding choreographer George Balanchine. It premièred on Thursday,...
Diamonds - A Midsummer Night's DreamA Midsummer Night's Dream (ballet)A Midsummer Night's Dream is a two-act ballet choreographed by George Balanchine to Felix Mendelssohn's incidental music for Shakespeare's play of the same name. In addition to the incidental music, Balanchine incorporated other Mendelssohn works into the ballet including Overtures to Athalie, Son...
- Monumentum pro GesualdoMonumentum pro GesualdoMonumentum pro Gesualdo is a ballet by New York City Ballet co-founder and balletmaster George Balanchine to eponymous music by Igor Stravinsky composed in honor of the 400th birthday of Don Carlo Gesualdo and consisting of Stravinsky's orchestrations of Don Carlo's madrigals...
- Movements for Piano and Orchestra
- Mozartiana
- OrpheusOrpheus (ballet)Orpheus is a ballet made by George Balanchine on Ballet Society, which he founded together with Lincoln Kirstein and of which he was ballet master, to eponymous music from 1947 by Igor Stravinsky, his frequent collaborator, with sets and costumes by Isamu Noguchi.The premiere took place on April...
- Prodigal Son
- Robert Schumann's Davidsbündlertänze
- La SonnambulaLa Sonnambula (ballet)La Sonnambula is a ballet by New York City Ballet co-founder and balletmaster, George Balanchine, made to Vittorio Rieti's music using themes from the operas of Vincenzo Bellini including La Sonnambula, Norma, I Puritani, and I Capuleti e i Montecchi and costumes by Karinska...
- SylviaSylvia (ballet)Sylvia, originally Sylvia, ou La nymphe de Diane, is a full-length ballet in two or three acts, first choreographed by Louis Mérante to music by Léo Delibes in 1876. Sylvia is a typical classical ballet in many respects, yet it has many interesting features which make it unique...
pas de deux - Symphony in CSymphony in C (ballet)Symphony in C, originally titled Le Palais de Cristal, is a ballet made by New York City Ballet co-founder and balletmaster George Balanchine to Bizet's Symphony in C , which he wrote at the age of 17 while studying with Charles Gounod at the Paris Conservatory...
second movement - Tzigane
- Union JackUnion Jack (ballet)Union Jack is a ballet made by New York City Ballet co-founder and founding choreographer George Balanchine to traditional British tunes, hornpipe melodies and music-hall songs, ca...
- Variations pour une Porte et un Soupir
- Vienna WaltzesVienna WaltzesVienna Waltzes is a ballet made by New York City Ballet co-founder and founding choreographer George Balanchine to music by Johann Strauss, Jr., Franz Lehár and Richard Strauss:...
- Walpurgisnacht BalletWalpurgisnacht BalletWalpurgisnacht Ballet is a ballet made by New York City Ballet's co-founder and founding choreographer George Balanchine for a 1975 production of Gounod's 1859 Faust at the Théâtre National de l'Opéra including the additional ballet music from 1869...
- Western SymphonyWestern SymphonyWestern Symphony is a ballet made by New York City Ballet co-founder and founding choreographer George Balanchine to music arranged by Hershy Kay. The premiere, Tuesday, September 7th, 1954, at City Center of Music and Drama, New York, was conducted by Leon Barzin and presented in practice clothes...
Peter Martins
- Papillons
- Songs of the Auvergne
- Valse TristeValse Triste (ballet)Valse Triste is a ballet made by New York City Ballet then balletmaster Peter Martins to Sibelius's eponymous waltz as well as Scene with Cranes from his incidental music for the play Kuolema . the crane being a symbol of death in Finnish literature...
Television
- PBS Dance in America
- Bournonville Dances William Tell pas de deux
- SerenadeSerenade (ballet)Serenade is a ballet by George Balanchine, subsequently co-founder and balletmaster of New York City Ballet, to Tschaikovsky's 1880 Serenade for Strings in C, Op. 48...
- PBS Kennedy Center HonorsKennedy Center HonorsThe Kennedy Center Honors is an annual honor given to those in the performing arts for their lifetime of contributions to American culture. The Honors have been presented annually since 1978 in Washington, D.C., during gala weekend-long events which culminate in a performance for—and...
tribute to Alexandra DanilovaSwan Lake (Martins)Swan Lake is a two-act ballet made by New York City Ballet balletmaster in chief Peter Martins after Marius Petipa, Lev Ivanov and George Balanchine to Tschaikovsky's eponymous music...
pas de deux
- PBS Live from Lincoln CenterLive from Lincoln CenterLive From Lincoln Center is an ongoing series of musical performances produced by Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts in conjunction with Thirteen/WNET in New York City....
New York City Ballet's Diamond Project: Ten Years of New Choreography, 2002- Them Twos
- PBS Live from Lincoln CenterLive from Lincoln CenterLive From Lincoln Center is an ongoing series of musical performances produced by Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts in conjunction with Thirteen/WNET in New York City....
Lincoln Center Celebrates Balanchine 100, 2004- Liebeslieder WalzerLiebeslieder WalzerLiebeslieder Walzer is a ballet made by New York City Ballet co-founder and balletmaster George Balanchine to Johannes Brahms' Liebeslieder, op. 52, 1869, and Neue Liebeslieder, op. 65, 1874, waltzes for piano duet and vocal quartet, set to poems by Daumer and Goethe...
- Liebeslieder Walzer
Footnotes
- Darci Kistler; Alicia Kistler, Ballerina: My Story (Pocket Books, New York, 1993)