Culture of New York City work. In these works each element is in and of itself expressive, and the observer determines what it communicates. George Balanchine, one of the 20th century's foremost choreographers and the first pioneer of contemporary ballet, formed a bridge between classical and modern ballet. Balanchine used flexed hands (and occasionally feet), turned-in legs, off-centered positions and non-classical costumes to distance himself from the classical and romantic ballet traditions. Balanchine also brought modern dancers in to dance with his company, the New York City Ballet; one such dancer was Paul Taylor, who in 1959 performed in Balanchine's piece "Episodes". Another significant modern
New York City Ballet for adults ages 21 and up with little to no prior dance experience. These programs are all facilitated by NYCB dancers. New York City Ballet offers day-of tickets to patrons age 30 and under for $30, the day of the performance at the box office. Availability is announced on Mondays during performance periods. New York City Ballet's Fourth Ring Society offers discounted tickets to members. This program was closed to new members in 2011. City Ballet's Choreographic Institute was founded by Irene Diamond and Peter Martins in 2000. The institute has three main programmatic programs: choreographic sessions, providing choreographers with