--- description: "The important thing in ballet," George Balanchine said, "is movement itself." Gjon Mili's photographs bring that thought to life. title: 'Movement Itself': Lovely Color Photos of Stravinsky-Inspired Ballets image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blte16ca0db5d3accce/69884bf855a8593191a8b925/140612-stravinsky-01.jpg?branch=production&width=3840&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  # 'Movement Itself': Gorgeous Color Photos of Stravinsky-Inspired Ballets by [Ben Cosgrove](/author/ben-cosgrove/) ## Ben Cosgrove Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close Jul 17, 2014 5:32 PM CUT  New York City Ballet performs Symphony in Three Movements, 1972. New York City Ballet performs Symphony in Three Movements, 1972.Gjon Mili—The LIFE Picture Collection/Getty Images by [Ben Cosgrove](/author/ben-cosgrove/) ## Ben Cosgrove Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close Jul 17, 2014 5:32 PM CUT The Russian-born composer, conductor and pianist [Igor Stravinsky](http://www.classical.net/music/comp.lst/stravinsky.php "undefined") (1882 – 1971) remains, five decades after his death, a towering figure in 20th century music. If he had written the music for only one of the three ballets for which he is best known — _The Firebird_ (1910), _Petrushka_ (1911) and _The Rite of Spring_ (1913) — he would still be celebrated today. That he wrote all three of those masterpieces, in the space of just a few years, ensures his musical immortality. Here, on the great musician’s birthday (b. June 17, 1882, in Lomonosov, Russia), LIFE.com pays tribute to Stravinsky through photos made in 1972 by Gjon Mili. The pictures capture dancers from George Balanchine’s New York City Ballet as they bring to life a series of dance works — 21 of them, based on Stravinsky’s music — created by Balanchine and Jerome Robbins. --- > “” ---  New York City Ballet performs Symphony in Three Movements, 1972. Gjon Mili—The LIFE Picture Collection/Getty Images  New York City Ballet performs Requiem Canticles, 1972. Gjon Mili—The LIFE Picture Collection/Getty Images  New York City Ballet performs Jerome Robbins's ballet, "Dumbarton Oaks," 1972. Gjon Mili—The LIFE Picture Collection/Getty Images  New York City Ballet performs Jerome Robbins's ballet, "Dumbarton Oaks," 1972. Gjon Mili—The LIFE Picture Collection/Getty Images  New York City Ballet performs Jerome Robbins's ballet, "Dumbarton Oaks," 1972. Gjon Mili—The LIFE Picture Collection/Getty Images  New York City Ballet dancers perform in Pulcinella, 1972. Gjon Mili—The LIFE Picture Collection/Getty Images  New York City Ballet performs Requiem Canticles, 1972. Gjon Mili—The LIFE Picture Collection/Getty Images  New York City Ballet performs Jerome Robbins's ballet, "Dumbarton Oaks," 1972. Gjon Mili—The LIFE Picture Collection/Getty Images  New York City Ballet performs Symphony in Three Movements, 1972. Gjon Mili—The LIFE Picture Collection/Getty Images  New York City Ballet performs Jerome Robbins's ballet, "Dumbarton Oaks," 1972. Gjon Mili—The LIFE Picture Collection/Getty Images  New York City Ballet performs Requiem Canticles, 1972. Gjon Mili—The LIFE Picture Collection/Getty Images  New York City Ballet performs Jerome Robbins's ballet, "Dumbarton Oaks," 1972. Gjon Mili—The LIFE Picture Collection/Getty Images  New York City Ballet performs Requiem Canticles, 1972. Gjon Mili—The LIFE Picture Collection/Getty Images  New York City Ballet dancers in pas de deux from Sonata, 1972. Gjon Mili—The LIFE Picture Collection/Getty Images ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","@id":"https://time.com/3880511/gorgeous-color-photos-of-stravinsky-inspired-ballets/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/3880511/gorgeous-color-photos-of-stravinsky-inspired-ballets/"},"headline":"'Movement Itself': Gorgeous Color Photos of Stravinsky-Inspired Ballets","datePublished":"2014-07-17T17:32:41.000Z","dateModified":"2026-05-11T05:03:39.278Z","description":"\"The important thing in ballet,\" George Balanchine said, \"is movement itself,\" a thought that photographer Gjon Mili vividly expresses in these photographs.","url":"https://time.com/3880511/gorgeous-color-photos-of-stravinsky-inspired-ballets/","keywords":["photography","Ben Cosgrove","Liz Ronk","ballet","W. 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