Balanchine's Apprentice: From Hollywood to New York and Back

by John Clifford

A talented young dancer and his brilliant teacher

In this long-awaited memoir, dancer and choreographer John Clifford offers a highly personal look inside the day-to-day operations of the New York City Ballet and its creative mastermind, George Balanchine. Balanchine’s Apprentice is the story of Clifford—an exceptionally talented artist—and the guiding inspiration for his life’s work in dance.

Growing up in Hollywood with parents in show business, Clifford acted in television productions such as The Danny Kaye Show, The Dinah Shore Show, and Death Valley Days. He recalls the beginning of his obsession with At age 11 he was cast as the Prince in a touring production of The Nutcracker. The director was none other than the legendary Balanchine, who would eventually invite Clifford to New York City and shape his career as both a mentor and artistic example.

During his dazzling tenure with the New York City Ballet, Clifford danced the lead in 47 works, several created for him by Balanchine, Jerome Robbins, and others. He partnered famous ballerinas including Gelsey Kirkland and Allegra Kent. He choreographed eight ballets for the company, his first at age 20. He performed in Russia, Germany, France, and Canada. Afterward, he returned to the West Coast to found the Los Angeles Ballet, where he continued to innovate based on the Balanchine technique.

In this book, Clifford provides firsthand insight into Balanchine’s relationships with his dancers, including Suzanne Farrell. Examining his own attachment to his charismatic teacher, Clifford explores questions of creative influence and integrity. His memoir is a portrait of a young dancer who learned and worked at lightning speed, who pursued the calls of art and genius on both coasts of America and around the world.

Genres: Biography, Nonfiction

328 pages, Kindle Edition

Published September 14, 2021

About the author

There is more than one author on Goodreads with the name John Clifford.

Reviews

[Stacy Augustine · Rating 5 out of 5]

Super book for ballet lovers!

How refreshing it was to read this book, a true dance memoir from a key player during the golden years of New York City Ballet under Balanchine. Clifford is passionate, talented, and also inclined to see the best in the people around him. An important addition to your dance library.

[Tracy Quinn · Rating 4 out of 5]

Excellent background on Balanchine, NYCB, and its principal dancers. John Clifford is a compelling storyteller with a fascinating perspective. Rebecca Thomas recommended Clifford’s memoir in the New York Times "What's in Our Queue" column and I’m so glad she did.

[Michelle Halber · Rating 4 out of 5]

I discovered Mr. Clifford from his many Facebook postings about Balanchine, NYCB and dance, but had never heard of him before.

He really has had a fascinating and rich career - going from early TV variety shows to becoming Balanchine's Apprentice. Yes, there is a lot of name dropping, but it's because he has worked with just about everyone well known in ballet in the 1960's or 70's.

I only wish we would be able to dance sequences as he speaks about many of them, but the majority of them were never filmed with the exact dancer or movement he may be referring to. He clearly has an amazing institutional history, and hopefully is working to preserve his in depth knowledge.

[Allyson · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is appropriately titled as it's really all about the author's working and experiences with Balanchine. Unlike other dance memoirs, John Clifford doesn't dive too much into his dance experiences outside of Balanchine and Robbins. He also doesn't share too much of what was personally happening with him outside of the NYCB during his time as a dancer there. While this book is definitely mostly about Balanchine, I really enjoyed all the insights into working with Robbins such as his choreographing of Dances at a Gathering. I didn't expect this when purchasing this book.

I'd highly recommend this book to any ballet lover/Balanchine fan. I've read so many ballet books and I learned so much from this book. I wish NYCB would revive some of the author's ballets after reading about them in his book.

[Carol Reese · Rating 4 out of 5]

A most interesting read

Balanchine is for me THE presiding genius of the 20th century. Mr. Clifford enjoyed a long, close and admiring relationship with him and writes candidly about that relationship as well as his own life and career. I also learned a lot about the inner workings of NYCB under Mr. B. And the Epilogue is amazing!

[Surreysmum · Rating 3 out of 5]

I got interested in this memoir because of Clifford's Facebook posts. Armed by those same Facebooks, I braced myself for "Balanchine's Apologist" rather than "Balanchine's Apprentice." What I got, because a whole book is a broad canvas, was more nuanced than social media post, but there is no question that whenever he treats of someone disobeying or disrespecting "Mr. B." Clifford has no objectivity; those people are disparaged, while Balanchine's own attitudes and actions are never questioned, only defended. Clifford also makes little effort to turn a critical eye on Balanchine's choreography (to be fair, he has little critical to say about any choreography). This is a chronicle of personal relationships, a discussion of personalities and how they operated in the hothouse environment of NYCB in the late 60s and early 70s. As such, it carries some interest.

Clifford does not whine, but it is clear he suffered major disappointment, thinking that Balanchine was grooming him as a possible successor, something that did not happen upon Balanchine's death in 1983. Clifford had been gone since 1975, running his own company in Los Angeles.

There is a good-faith effort in this book to describe the dance qualities as well as the personal qualities of Balanchine's ballerinas, including particularly Suzanne Farrell, who was Balanchine's muse in the late 1960s. Clifford also expands on the subject of other female dancers he particularly liked, notably Maia Plisetskaya, with whom he had a personal friendship. He has relatively little time for other male dancers; he does talk a little about his own strengths as an "allegro" dancer (short and fast) and how Balanchine slotted him into Edward Villella's roles as the latter grew older.

As expected, Clifford outright denies and dismisses claims, particularly those of Gelsey Kirkland, that Balanchine's NYCB was a hotbed of physical and emotional mistreatment of women. He takes particular pains to deny that Balanchine had "uppers" handed out to the dancers during the rigours of their Soviet tour, although with a curious type of honesty, he admits in the same paragraph that he had a personal stash of stimulants, albeit of the over-the-counter variety. Gelsey's principal sin, in his eyes and probably Balanchine's, was to move out of Balanchine's classes and in to the circle of a trainer called Maggie Black. I myself take a somewhat neutral line on this dispute. Kirkland and Clifford appear from their memoirs to have been living in entirely different worlds, or at least different versions of NCYB. Part of that is indeed gender-based; it is clear that Clifford believes himself to have been Balanchine's favourite son, in a position of privilege with insight into the management and direction of the company. Gelsey, on the other hand, was a feminine object - to be admired and choreographed, but not entitled to exert any particular agency outside the execution of the steps of her dance.

I am an admirer, not a fanatic, when it comes to Balanchine's choreography. I enjoy the patterns, the speed, the musicality. Going back to youtube to rewatch some ballets in conjunction with reading this memoir has been a real pleasure, and we must acknowledge that some of that youtube wealth is on Clifford's channel. But I part company with Clifford's hagiography. For me, this book is another voice, alongside many others, circling the reality of NYCB, not the final word.

[Sharon · Rating 5 out of 5]

After reading many biographies and many stories about Balanchine it was amazing to read this one. Simply the best account of what it was like to dance for George Balanchine. The photos were fantastic and I poured over each one. So many, so varied, and so insightful. It was interesting, after reading Gelsey Kirkland's book to read John Clifford's opinions about Gelsey. I must say, I completely got the same impression about her after reading her book--ungrateful but talented. It was shocking to read how Nancy Reagan bought off the Music Center, so the Joffrey, and her son, by default, could dominate the LA ballet scene. Oh, and I took ballet for many years from Stanley Holden and he was the nicest man and a great teacher. What a great read! I learned so much about Balanchine, his ballets, and what it was like to work with him. I enjoyed John's optimism, and though he talked about people in the dance world, I always thought his thoughts were fair and balanced. It was nice to read so many positive things about his dance partners through the years. Oh and I loved how his expereinces and conversations with Balanchine helped form him as a man and as a dancer. It is unfortunate that John Clifford does not have a greater role at NYCB as he really does seem like the heir apparent.

[Meredith · Rating 4 out of 5]

I am predisposed to enjoy any Balanchine dancer's memoir, so this was very much up my alley. I enjoyed Clifford's conversational tone and his unbridled enthusiasm for Balanchine. He is unapologetically critical of changes made to Balanchine's work after his death, which is understandable, and one infers that this is why he has not been brought back to NYCB to stage or rehearse ballets, despite being a repetiteur for the Balanchine Trust (certainly there appears to be no love lost between Clifford and Peter Martins). Other readers have noted that the book has a lot of name-dropping, and that the author relates a lot of compliments and raves he received from Balanchine, other choreographers, critics, and so on - it is true that Clifford does not seem to suffer from any dearth of self-esteem, but he does also include some negative feedback he got over the years. None of that bothered me, and based on this book I think he'd be a delight to have lunch with or chat with during intermission at the ballet.

[Terri · Rating 4 out of 5]

If you know ballet, respect Balanchine, and remember dancers like Suzanne Farrell, Allegra Kent, Patricia McBride, Gelsey Kirkland, Edward Villella, Jacques d'Amboise, Jerome Robbins, and Peter Martins... this book is for you! I know John Clifford hasn't been without controversy, but his talent both as a dancer and choreographer, which was nurtured by George Balanchine as his protege, can't be overlooked. He tells of his rise in the New York City Ballet hierarchy, his heartbreak of forceful separation from his mentor's work within NYCB by Peter Martins as artistic director (which rightfully should have been John Clifford's destiny), and his work after his failed LA Ballet Company to carry forth Mr. B's legacy worldwide following his death. This is a must read for ballet lovers.

[Deborah Grisorio · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a superb book about the author’s career and friendship with George Balanchine. Mr. Clifford pulls back the curtains to reveal the inner working of the NYC Ballet, its founder and fellow dancers. His insight and revelations reveal his love for the art of ballet and for Mr. B. In contrast to other “ballet” books, Mr. Clifford never oversteps what would be seemly, betrays a trust or gripes about perceived slights and “unfair” issues. In other words, he keeps it classy. This is a must-read for dance lovers.

[Mi · Rating 2 out of 5]

I'm just not THAT into neither Clifford nor Balanchine. I guess the book was somewhat interesting, in spots, but then again, not. Names, chapters filled with nothing but names of people nobody cares about. Like, whoever set the stage lights for the production of "Etudes and variations in c minor over the theme of a door and a sigh". I guess this memoir is fine for hardcore members of the Balanchine cult, for me, [shrug], nah.

[pianogal · Rating 1 out of 5]

Sorry. I can't finish this one. It's just a bunch of name drops. "And then I worked with her and then I worked with her." Blah blah blah. I don't care. I want to read what it like to dance, not who he danced with.

[John · Rating 4 out of 5]

Interesting and informative book about dancer and choreographer John Clifford role in the New York City Ballet and its creative mastermind, George Balanchine.

[Caspar Vega · Rating 4 out of 5]

Not bad, dear.

[Patricia Lane · Rating 5 out of 5]

If you are a ballet lover or have ever worked in the performing arts, I highly recommend this book! I worked in the dance world in the early 80s and was acquainted with some of the people involved, so for me it was wonderful; nostalgic, informative, and insightful. Clifford dishes a bit, but he is never vicious and his observations and insights are thoughtfully presented. Most of the memoirs about dancing for George Balanchine have come from women (Suzanne Farrell, Gelsey Kirkland, etc.) but Clifford's perspective as a man in a company known more for its focus on women is refreshing and enlightening. Not for everyone, but a must for ballet fans.

[Eileen McCauley · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a 5 star book for readers interested in George Balanchine and his choreography. It provides a fascinating picture of the New York City Ballet and its dancers in the late 1960s and early 1970s. Mr.Balanchine and Mr. Clifford had a very close, son-father, relationship and Mr. Clifford, both a talented dancer and choreographer, was able to appreciate Mr. B's genius. The last chapters are sad as they show rich "patrons of the arts" manipulations undercutting the Los Angeles Ballet and the decline of the NYCB during Mr B's illness and after his death.