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
Richmond Ballet first professional Ballet company in Virginia and was designated the State Ballet of Virginia in 1990, by then Governor Wilder. Richmond Ballet's educational outreach program, Minds In Motion, was founded in 1993. It features a pedestrian based movement curriculum that is taught to 4th graders all over the commonwealth. In 2000, Richmond Ballet moved into a renovated facility in Richmond. In his 2011 article on American productions of Tchaikovsky's The Nutcracker, the New York Times' Alastair Macaulay singled out the Richmond Ballet production as one of the best in the country. The company debuted in New York City in 2005