Daily Holidays - January 22

[betsuni]

1. Happy Birthday to George Balanchine

One of my favorite quotes from George:

"We read Ivan Goncharov's novel, 'Oblomov,' in school. Its hero, a Russian landowner, lies on his couch and does nothing. Oblomovism is a widespread term in Russia. There's a bit of Oblomov in us all. I sometimes think about my life that it's nothing but Oblomovism! I've done so little. ... But I also think that what Russian call Oblomovism is not simply laziness or an unwillingness to work. There is also a rejection of excessive bustle, a conscious decision not to participate in the rat race for the phantoms of fame and success. Here in the West, people run all the time --- hurry, hurry, like squirrels in a wheel. It looks like movement, but where are the results? The Russian says, 'I will not participate in your vanity fair, I think I'll lie down on the couch and take a rest.' Actually, you can think of quite a few interesting things on the couch."

The Four Temperaments ballet, first performed in 1946: