When Choreographer George Balanchine returns to his homeland, it is partly an occasion for renewing old acquaintances, but mostly for acquainting old friends with his new works. Ten years ago, in his only previous visit to the U.S.S.R. in half a century, Balanchine and the members of his New York City Ballet sent shock waves of excitement through the Soviet dance world. Now they were back for a five-week tour of Kiev, Leningrad, Tbilisi, Moscow, Lodz and Warsaw. Everywhere the S.R.O. sign was out.
As expected, Balanchine made virtually no concessions to accepted Russian dance taste, which has been shaped by the...