Bob Fosse & George Balanchine: The History of the Men Who Revolutionized American Choreography
Written by Charles River Editors
Narrated by Michelle Humphries
()
About this audiobook
By the turn of the 20th century, American entertainment was still preoccupied with European-style operetta, as embodied in the works of cellist-composer Victor Herbert. Traditional dance forms moved from European stories to the American prairie in Oklahoma by the late 1940s, and what was once the property of Bavarian princes became the singing standards of cowboys riding through the corn fields in Oh What a Beautiful Morning and Out of My Dreams. At the time, the availability of classical ballet in America was scant. In contrast to the evolution of an American style in musical theater, Broadway, and film, ballet in the United States was ushered in largely through the efforts of an individual who brought with him a strong traditional sense from Russia and the rest of Europe but was intent on producing a distinctly American style. Other experimentalists appeared, such as Isadora Duncan, but it was George Balanchine who managed to institutionalize and fund both a hybrid traditional as well as experimental form.
In the 1960s, Bob Fosse emerged as one of the leading dancers, actors, choreographers, directors, screenwriters and film directors on Broadway and in Hollywood. He became famous for conquering several fields on the musical stage and film simultaneously in a way that no one has before or since. It is said that “only Busby Berkeley compares” to Fosse despite the fact that Berkeley was never a dancer, and that Fosse enjoyed eight Broadway hits to Berkeley’s one. Fosse forever changed the way the modern audience viewed dance on stage and film. Coupling his rise with the sexual freedom movement, he is known for an “intense, unbelievably driven, provocative, entertaining…sexual, physically demanding” choreographic style. Difficult for even the best dancers, the range of expression encompasses “joyous humor, as well as bleak cynicism.”
More audiobooks from Charles River Editors
Ur: The History and Legacy of the Ancient Sumerian Capital Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Gnosticism: The History and Legacy of the Mysterious Ancient Religion Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Legends of the West: Deadwood, South Dakota Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Project MK-Ultra: The History of the CIA’s Controversial Human Experimentation Program Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The East India Company: The History of the British Empire's Most Famous Mercantile Company Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Rape of Nanking: The History and Legacy of the Notorious Massacre during the Second Sino-Japanese War Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Mysteries of the South: Ghosts, Legends, and Unexplained Phenomena in Dixie Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Nineveh: The History and Legacy of the Ancient Assyrian Capital Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5J. Robert Oppenheimer: The Life and Legacy of the Father of the Atomic Bomb Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Arnold Rothstein and Meyer Lansky: The Lives and Legacies of the Gangsters Who Reformed Organized Crime in America Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsThe Mysterious Midwest: Mysteries, Legends, and Unexplained Phenomena in America's Heartland Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Mossad: The History and Legacy of Israel’s National Intelligence Agency Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5The Life and Trial of Lizzie Borden: The History of 19th Century America's Most Famous Murder Case Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Denisovans: The History of the Extinct Archaic Humans Who Spread Across Asia during the Paleolithic Era Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Vandals: The History and Legacy of Antiquity's Most Famous Barbarians Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Cambrian Period: The History and Legacy of the Start of Complex Life on Earth Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Patrice Lumumba: The Life and Legacy of the Pan-African Politician Who Became Congo's First Prime Minister Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Medieval England: The History of England from the Fall of Rome to the Rise of the Tudor Dynasty Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsSigmund Freud and Carl Jung: The Pioneering Lives and Works of History’s Most Influential Psychologists Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5
Related to Bob Fosse & George Balanchine
Related audiobooks
Diaghilev's Empire: How the Ballets Russes Enthralled the World Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsThe Diary of Vaslav Nijinsky: Unexpuragated Edtiion Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Beyoncé in the World: Making Meaning with Queen Bey in Troubled Times Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsThe Gift of Dance Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsMy Double Life: The autobiography of Sarah Bernhardt Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5The Psychology of Celebrity Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsSummary of Sanford Meisner's Sanford Meisner on Acting Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsHow Taylor Swift Became Famous Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsPsychedelic Heroes Cream & the Moody Blues: The Hidden History Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5First Nations Comedy Experience: Vol 1 Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsHow To Be A Professional Dancer Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsBob Fosse: The Life and Legacy of America’s Most Decorated Choreographer Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5George Balanchine: The Life and Legacy of One of the 20th Century’s Most Influential Choreographers Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsSportin' Life: John W. Bubbles, An American Classic Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Big Deal: Bob Fosse and Dance in the American Musical Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Hope: Entertainer of the Century Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Rhythm Man: Chick Webb and the Beat that Changed America Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsWhat to Listen for in Music Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Michael Jackson: Biography of the Most Famous Singer of All Time Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsAmerican R & B: Gospel Grooves, Funky Drummers, and Soul Power Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsThe Many Resurrections of Henry Box Brown Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsAmerican Pop: Hit Makers, Superstars, and Dance Revolutionaries Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsGeorge Bernard Shaw: A Very Short Introduction Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsAmerican Country: Bluegrass, Honky-Tonk, and Crossover Sounds Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsEvelyn Dove: Britain’s Black Cabaret Queen Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsNo Sweeter Sound: The History of Black Country Music Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Cello Suites: J. S. Bach, Pablo Casals, and the Search for a Baroque Masterpiece Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Listening for America: Inside the Great American Songbook from Gershwin to Sondheim Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Scott Joplin: The Life and Legacy of the King of Ragtime Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5
Artists and Musicians For You
Dolly Parton: The Life of a Legendary American Singer, Actor, and Businesswoman Rating: 2 out of 5 stars2/5Not That Fancy: Simple Lessons on Living, Loving, Eating, and Dusting Off Your Boots Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5More Myself: A Journey Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Rememberings Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Like a River: Finding the Faith and Strength to Move Forward after Loss and Heartache Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5IT'S ALL IN YOUR HEAD Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Adversity for Sale: Ya Gotta Believe Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5The Woman in Me Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Dolly Parton, Songteller: My Life in Lyrics Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5My Love Story: A Memoir Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5My Effin' Life Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Killing the Legends: The Lethal Danger of Celebrity Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Me: Elton John Official Autobiography Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Scar Tissue Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Leonardo da Vinci Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Roll Me Up and Smoke Me When I Die: Musings from the Road Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Storyteller: Expanded: ...Because There's More to the Story Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Share My Life: A Journey of Love, Faith and Redemption Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Jimmy Buffett: A Good Life All the Way Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Summary: Greenlights: by Matthew McConaughey: Key Takeaways, Summary & Analysis Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Dirt: Confessions of the World's Most Notorious Rock Band Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Gold Dust Woman: The Biography of Stevie Nicks Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Mercury and Me Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Sounds Like Me: My Life (So Far) in Song Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Van Gogh: The Life Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Autobiography of Gucci Mane Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Chronicles: Volume One Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Thank You (Falettinme Be Mice Elf Agin): A Memoir Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5The Heart: Frida Kahlo in Paris Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5
Reviews for Bob Fosse & George Balanchine
0 ratings0 reviews