In 1983, the world of ballet lost one of its premier members to a disease that was widely unknown at the time with the exception of the few doctors and scientists who studied the rare disease. George Balanchine was one of the first and foremost choreographers in American ballet. In fact, many critics say "Without George Balanchine, there would be no American ballet, only ballet in America."

Balanchine was born in St. Petersburg, Russia in 1904. He quickly began his career in music when he started playing the piano when he was five, and was accepted into the ballet section of the Imperial Theater School of St. Petersburg at the age of nine. Following his graduation in 1921, Balanchine began to choreograph a number of ballets including nine he made while working as Ballet Master for Serge Diaghilev in London. In October of 1933, Balanchine came to New York as asked by...