The Washington Post: Former ballerina takes legal action against managers of Balanchine’s ballets

By Sarah L. Kaufman

28 February 2019

One of George Balanchine’s former ballerinas has filed legal action contending that the choreographer’s legacy is in jeopardy.

Susan Gluck, a trustee of the George Balanchine Trust, which administers the rights to perform Balanchine’s ballets, filed a 136-page petition Thursday in the surrogate court of the state of New York seeking a full accounting of the financial management of the trust. Gluck was a member of New York City Ballet, the renowned company that Balanchine founded, from 1978 to 1986.

Her petition landed on the same day that New York City Ballet made its long-awaited announcement that Jonathan Stafford would be its new artistic director, with former ballerina Wendy Whelan taking on the new position of associate artistic director.

…

Gluck alleges in her petition that “over the span of 20 years, Horgan has leveraged the trust to consolidate her power over Mr. Balanchine’s works and maximize her income to the detriment of other trust beneficiaries.” Gluck further accuses Horgan of crafting “a web of partnerships” that led to more income than she was entitled to.

Neither Horgan nor anyone at the trust office immediately returned calls and messages seeking comment.

Read the full article in The Washington Post.