“I learned to love dance for its own sake. The feeling that it gave me — the happiness, the security, the release of my feelings, — it made me a person. It brought out in me the person whom I had the potential to become. I think that’s why I loved it for its own sake, not to be a ballerina. On the other hand, I think it is wonderful for everyone to take ballet classes, at any age. It gives you a discipline, it gives you a place to go. It gives you some control in your life. You are with music. You express yourself in a way that you can’t explain, even to your best friend. And it is in a beautiful environment.”

~Suzanne Farrell  (Farrell joined New York City Ballet in 1961. Left NYCB in 1970 and danced 4 years with the Ballet du XXe Siècle in Brussels, Belgium. In 1975 she rejoined the New York City Ballet and began another period of creative activity with Balanchine.)