Suzanne Farrell: Ballerina of the Century

Ballet changed course on the day that George Balanchine met Suzanne Farrell. It was 1960. He was 56. She was 15, and had just arrived in New York from small-town Ohio, with dreams of becoming a professional dancer. Within a couple of years, she would become the greatest ballerina of her generation, and muse to the greatest choreographer in history. Their collaboration at the New York City Ballet crossed boundaries of art and love, and sent ballet pirouetting in new directions. But it was not without turmoil. Suzanne Farrell talks here about their enigmatic relationship, about how she withstood being fired (twice) from her artistic home, and about the beauty of living and dancing in the moment.

(c ) American Academy of Achievement 2019