Les Gentilhommes
Encyclopedia
Les Gentilhommes is a ballet for nine men made by New York City Ballet
's balletmaster-in-chief Peter Martins
to Georg Friedrich Händel
's 1739 Concerti Grossi, Opus 6, nos. 9 and 2 (largo). The premiere took place on May 15, 1987, at the New York State Theater, Lincoln Center
.
Les Gentilhommes was subtitled "Skol, Stanley!" at its premiere and is dedicated to the late Stanley Williams
, co-chairman of faculty at the School of American Ballet
who taught Martins at the Royal Danish Ballet
school. The ballet consists of three trios of different moods preceded and followed by sections for the whole ensemble, concluding with a solo. "In Gentilhommes, I didn't just want to make a big bravura piece, showing beats and double air turns, but showing how elegantly and beautifully men can move."
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...
to Georg Friedrich Händel
George Frideric Handel
George Frideric Handel was a German-British Baroque composer, famous for his operas, oratorios, anthems and organ concertos. Handel was born in 1685, in a family indifferent to music...
's 1739 Concerti Grossi, Opus 6, nos. 9 and 2 (largo). The premiere took place on May 15, 1987, at the New York State Theater, Lincoln Center
Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts
Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts is a complex of buildings in the Lincoln Square neighborhood of New York City's Upper West Side. Reynold Levy has been its president since 2002.-History and facilities:...
.
Les Gentilhommes was subtitled "Skol, Stanley!" at its premiere and is dedicated to the late Stanley Williams
Stanley Williams (ballet)
Stanley Williams was a dancer and, later, a renowned ballet instructor.-Early days:Stanley Williams was born in England but grew up in Copenhagen, and Stanley was enrolled at the Royal Danish School of Ballet...
, co-chairman of faculty at the 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...
who taught Martins at the Royal Danish Ballet
Royal Danish Ballet
The Royal Danish Ballet is one of the oldest ballet companies in the world. Based in Copenhagen, Denmark, it originates from 1748, when the Royal Danish Theatre was founded, and was finally organized in 1771 in response to the great popularity of French and Italian styles of dance...
school. The ballet consists of three trios of different moods preceded and followed by sections for the whole ensemble, concluding with a solo. "In Gentilhommes, I didn't just want to make a big bravura piece, showing beats and double air turns, but showing how elegantly and beautifully men can move."
Original
- Gen HoriuchiGen HoriuchiGen Horiuchi is a Japanese ballet dancer and choreographer. He was a principal dancer of the New York City Ballet and is artistic director of the Saint Louis Ballet Company.-Biography:Gen Horiuchi was born and raised in Tokyo, Japan...
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- Richard Marsden
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