Born in czarist Russia and trained at the Imperial Theater Ballet School in St. Petersburg, Balanchine braved revolution and the perils of defection to come to America for the freedom to create his own ballets. As co-founder of the New York City Ballet and the School of American Ballet, he was tireless in his efforts to develop a modern style of ballet and to put American ballet on the map. His enormous choreographic output bursting with inventive development of classical ballet style, molded generations of American dancers and influenced companies all over the world. His exciting story, told here in elegant, yet accesible, prose brings Balanchine's spirit to life and shows how he became one of the twentieth century's most influential artistic figures.