8 Chapter 7 Mr. Balanchine's Muse

Chapter 7 Mr. Balanchine's Muse George Balanchine was the new choreographer for the Ballet Russe. Every day, he watched Maria closely. One time she was doing exercises at the barre. Her right hand lightly held the rail as she slowly slid her left foot across the floor, pointing the toes. The exercise is called battement tendu. Finally, the new choreographer stepped forward. "If only you would learn to do battement tendu properly," he said, "you wouldn't have to learn anything else." His words crushed her. She felt as if she were still a child who had to relearn once again the basics of ballet. In the ballet world, some people thought George Balanchine was a genius while others

thought him cold and unemotional. Maria had seen him work with dancers. He created magic on the stage.

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Madame Nijinska had given Maria a passion for ballet. Mr. Balanchine, another Russian, could give her discipline. With his help, she began to retrain her legs to move more precisely. During the day, she took classes. In the evening, she danced. Months passed. The changes in her body surprised her. Her legs seemed longer. Her muscles had stretched. Even her neck seemed more gracefully long. As her dancing improved, her confidence in herself soared. Mr. Balanchine's interest in Maria was more than just professional. He was falling in love with her. One night, he asked her to marry him. Maria was unable to speak. Mr. Balanchine was twenty

years older than she! And he had been married and divorced, not once but twice! Her mother and father would never approve of such a marriage. The Russian was very handsome with his dark eyes. In the weeks that followed, Maria began to feel as if she were living in a ballet fairy tale. She was Sleeping Beauty or Cinderella. Mr. Balanchine was her handsome "prince of dance." They married in the summer of 1946 in New York City. The bride was twenty-one years old. Just as Maria had predicted, her mother and father did not come to the wedding. Nor was Marjorie there. Maria's sister had graduated from high school and joined a different ballet company. She was performing and could not get away. Even though Maria missed her family, she felt real joy when George slipped the wedding ring onto her finger. She and George had each other, and that was all that truly mattered. "You are my muse, my inspiration," George told his young wife. In Greek mythology, a muse is a goddess who sparks the imagination of an artist or a poet. George used music and dance to create great works of art. With Maria as his muse, he began choreographing new ballets just for her.

He was patient but demanding. "Do it over again, this way," he told Maria. He danced the steps himself so she could see exactly how he