The date was on the 30th of April 2023, but the post is late. It was the date on which we lost what many consider the great genius of classical ballet, George Balanchine.

The choreographer passed away quite suddenly, in 1983 at the age of 79. It was only after his death that doctors confirmed that he suffered from the rare Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease, which is characterized by progressive deterioration of mental function, leading patients to dementia, muscle spasms (myoclonus), and a staggering gait. The first signs that Balanchine had something were identified retroactively in 1978 when he became unsteady on his feet and unable to do a pirouette as he should. He went to a neurologist who didn’t detect anything abnormal, something the man who lived on the move knew wasn’t right. What everyone believed was a sequel to the choreographer’s recent heart attack and high blood pressure, who was taking large doses of medication for angina, and still felt strong chest pains, restricting movement.

The bypass was only placed in 1980 when I could no longer sleep. The recovery from this surgery was slow and the staggering gait made it difficult for her to walk without assistance, even interfering with her creations with the dancers. Even with the exams not discovering the cause, the imbalance became constant and easily identifiable. In the last months of his life, he could barely move, dance, think, or, least of all, choreograph. According to the doctors, unfortunately even having correctly identified the disease, nothing would change the course it took in Balanchine’s life.

The last ballet he created for the New York City Ballet was Variations for Orchestra, a solo for his muse, Suzanne Farrell, over an eight-minute piece in memory of Aldous Huxley. Even today, his first, Apollo, from 1928, is considered his masterpiece, although the Tchaikovsky Pas-de-Deux is one of his most popular. I don’t think any beat his The Nutcracker, but maybe my favorite is Serenade, from 1935. It’s hard to choose!

On April 30, NYCB danced the 1957 Square Dance, which blends folk and classical dance, the lesser-used Haieff Divertimento, 1947, and the light and playful Donizetti Variations, originally christened Variations from Don Sebastian, from 1960, which was part of a special program to celebrate the 100th anniversary of the unification of Italy.

In a belated tribute to the genius, here is the program selected by his company.

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