In the latest Ballet Review there's an article about Martha Hill ("Martha Hill: The Early Years") containing the following passage:

"When confronting a threat (such as Lincoln Kirstein's attempt at a School of American Ballet takeover at Juilliard, . . . ), her strategies were unparalleled in their genius."

Does anyone know more about this takeover attempt?

The Spring 2006 issue of Ballet Review contains a very interesting discussion of this topic.

"An Unsettled Marriage: The Merger of SAB and Julliard" (by Joseph W. Polisi) makes for an engrossing read. One of the many tidbits included in the eleven-page article is Lincoln Kirstein's statement that modern dancer performers are overweight dancers with dirty feet. Charming.

What on earth would be the point of such a merge?

Hans - the article is interesting. It wasn't particularly a merge. What the president of Juilliard wanted to do at that time was replace the Juilliard dance program that Hill founded (and that he did not think was at the level of their music departments) with SAB.