Christensen, Lew (b Brigham City, Utah, 9 May (some sources 6 May) 1909, d California, 9 Oct. 1984). US dancer, choreographer, and ballet director. The youngest of the three dancing Christensen brothers. Like them, he began his studies with his uncle Lars Peter Christensen in Salt Lake City and continued his studies with Stefano Mascagno and L. Albertieri in New York and at Balanchine's School of American Ballet. After touring the vaudeville circuit with his siblings, he joined the American Ballet in 1936, becoming one of the most important of the early Balanchine dancers. In 1937 he became Balanchine's first American Apollo, which prompted Kirstein to write of his ‘suave and monumental elegance’ in the part. Tall, blonde, and handsome, and possessed of a strong technique, he was America's first real danseur noble of the 20th century. For Ballet Caravan he choreographed Filling Station (mus. V. Thomson) in 1938, one of the first all-American ballets, and Pocahontas (mus. E. Carter, 1936). In 1946 he joined the faculty of the School of American Ballet, and also became ballet master of Ballet Society and later New York City Ballet. In 1951 he moved to California to take over the San Francisco Ballet, which his brother William had been running. He choreographed over 70 ballets and operas for San Francisco, including Con amore (mus. Rossini, 1953), Nutcracker (1954), Beauty and the Beast (mus. Tchaikovsky, 1958), Divertissement d'Auber (1959), Jest of Cards (mus. Krenek, 1962), and Life: A Do It Yourself Disaster (‘A Pop Art Ballet’, mus. Ives, 1965).

The Oxford Dictionary of Dance. Copyright © 2000, 2004 by Oxford University Press. All rights reserved.