This book investigates the historical forces that shaped the Americanization of ballet, challenging the long-standing assumption that George Balanchine was the sole architect of the art form's national identity. Author Andrea Harris, a scholar of dance history, utilizes archival research and cultural analysis to recontextualize the development of neoclassical ballet. She argues that the evolution of American ballet was a complex negotiation involving social, political, and cultural pressures rather than a singular stylistic innovation.

Scholars and dance historians recognize this work as a significant intervention in the historiography of American dance. Readers frequently note the academic density of the prose and the author's meticulous approach to re-evaluating established narratives.