How would dance be different today if George Balanchine had never lived?

Question:Classical Ballet would have become a "dead art," stagnating as the choreography has since his death. Balanchine made Ballet modern. There would still be modern dance and there would still be Ballet choreographers, but as a whole, the art of Ballet would be far less popular than it is today. You can only watch Margot Fonteyn and Nureyev dance the Sleeping Beauty so many times before you become bored. Makarova and Baryshnikov would have pumped new blood into the art, and perhaps new choreographers would have come along to fill the absence left in choreography without Balanchine, but it is doubtful. No one has stepped forward to fill his shoes since his death.

Best Answer - Chosen by Asker: Classical Ballet would have become a "dead art," stagnating as the choreography has since his death. Balanchine made Ballet modern. There would still be modern dance and there would still be Ballet choreographers, but as a whole, the art of Ballet would be far less popular than it is today. You can only watch Margot Fonteyn and Nureyev dance the Sleeping Beauty so many times before you become bored. Makarova and Baryshnikov would have pumped new blood into the art, and perhaps new choreographers would have come along to fill the absence left in choreography without Balanchine, but it is doubtful. No one has stepped forward to fill his shoes since his death.