Only fifteen when she made her professional debut with two solos at Jacob’s Pillow in 1945, Tanaquil LeClercq (1929-2000) went on to make history in creating more than twenty-five roles in the ballets of George Balanchine. She was a charter member of the New York City Ballet, but her performing career ended tragically in 1956 when she contracted paralytic polio. She was married to Balanchine from 1952 to 1969, and later achieved distinction as an author, photographer, and teacher. The Mexican-American dancer Nicholas Magallanes (1922-1977) auditioned for Balanchine as a teenager and made his professional debut with Ballet Caravan at the 1939 New York World’s Fair. He created roles in some two dozen Balanchine ballets, including La Valse with Tanaquil LeClercq. This film of the dance was made with its original cast less than six months after the premiere.
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