Abstract

This article examines the ballet Orpheus (1948), choreographed by George Balanchine, and the cultural milieu of queerness surrounding the ballet’s creation. Although Orpheus is known for helping to formally establish the New York City Ballet, the undercurrents of homosexuality in the ballet’s development have received less attention in the historical narrative. Additionally, the dancer Nicholas Magallanes, a gay Mexican American immigrant who starred in the title role, is similarly overlooked. Thus, through choreographic analysis and archival research, I elucidate the collective influence of a constellation of queer men to assert that the significance of Orpheus lies in its queer past.

摘要

本文探讨了由乔治·巴兰钦编排的芭蕾舞剧《俄耳甫斯》 （1948 年），以及围绕芭蕾舞创作的酷儿文化环境。尽管俄耳甫斯以帮助正式成立纽约市芭蕾舞团而闻名，但芭蕾舞发展中的同性恋暗流在历史叙事中却很少受到关注。此外，扮演主角的墨西哥裔美国同性恋移民、舞者尼古拉斯·麦加拉内斯同样被忽视了。因此，通过编排分析和档案研究，我阐明了一群酷儿的集体影响，以断言俄耳甫斯的重要性在于其酷儿的过去。