George Balanchine

You've probably never heard of him, but you will. Christopher Wheeldon, already something of a New York City darling, is poised to boost his already impressive resume.

Oct. 6, 1962: New York City Ballet's first visit to Russia and George Balanchine's return to his homeland after 38 years. Mobs of Soviet officials, State Department delegates and reporters meet the plane at Sheremetyevo Airport in Moscow. "Welcome to Russia, home of the classical ballet," says the interviewer for Radio Moscow. "I beg your pardon," Balanchine replies. "Russia is the home of Romantic ballet. The home of classic ballet is now America."

On a Monday in October, while the other members of New York City Ballet are enjoying their day off, three principals are hard at work in a Lincoln Center studio, making an important connection with the past. Nichol Hlinka, Lourdes Lopez and Nikolaj Hubbe are helping restore life to sections of "Le Baiser de la Fee," a 1937 ballet by George Balanchine not seen since the early 1950s.

San Francisco Ballet had a long and illustrious history before Helgi Tomasson took over in troubled times 10 years ago. Founded in 1933, it was the oldest ballet company in the United States, and it was the first in this country to mount a production of the complete "Nutcracker," a decade before George Balanchine created his justly famous one for New York City Ballet.

With the release of the first five titles in Nonesuch's VHS "Balanchine Library," a number of great ballets and performances are being exhumed from the vaults and issued on home video for the first time, their images and sound restored as closely as possible to mint condition.

Program changes are a fact of life. But even to the casual balletomane, changes announced for the New York City Ballet's three performances here this weekend seemed a tad jarring. Among the promised highlights at the Cerritos Center for the Performing Arts had been four works by the late founder of NYCB, George Balanchine. But as of two weeks ago, Balanchine's works were out, and pieces by emerging choreographers were in. The reason?

Miami City Ballet is only 8 years old and it can't match the stylistic sheen or casting-in-depth of San Francisco Ballet and other seasoned regional companies. But, whatever their individual talents, nearly all the dancers in the 37-member ensemble share a common attack: distinctively incisive, emotional and energetic.

The nine works by George Balanchine that close the New York City Ballet engagement this weekend at the Orange County Performing Arts Center span only about four of his six-plus decades of creativity. "Serenade," the great Russian choreographer's first work in this country, was created in 1934 to Tchaikovsky's Serenade in C for Strings, only months after Balanchine arrived in the United States.

Following the death of George Balanchine 10 years ago, stellar dancer Edward Villella noted how the visionary ballet master had in essence given our country an aristocracy--a noble line based on artistic merit. The era of Villella and other American "nobles" was relived during the middle three weeks, which ended Tuesday, of New York City Ballet's eight-week "Balanchine Celebration."

"It's all in the programs," the late George Balanchine once replied to questions about his personal life. During the second week, which ended Tuesday, of New York City Ballet's eight-week "Balanchine Celebration," another dozen works entered this chronological presentation of 73 ballets. These programs spanned 1948 to 1955 and offered insights into Balanchine's own life and times. This period covered the choreographer's marriages to ballerina Maria Tallchief, wife No.