Ballet in America would not be what it is without Lincoln Kirstein (KURR-steen), who died today in his Manhattan home at the age of 87. NPR's Melissa Block reports that as a dance patron, Kirstein brought choreographer George Balanchine to the United States in 1933. Together they founded the School of American Ballet and later, the New York City Ballet. Kirstein ran both for many years and wrote several books on dance.
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