West Side Story

Question 1

Jerome Robbins life dates:

Answer 1

1918-1998

Question 2

How was he introduced to dance?

Answer 2

• in Jewish culture the arts and cultural pursuits were part of his upbringing
• his older sister Sonia was a modern dancer

Question 3

What styles did he study?

Answer 3

• modern dance
• Spanish
• oriental
• interpretive
• piano, violin, acting, voice
• he studied with some of the best teachers of the time
• the wide range of styles enriched his creativity for later years

Question 4

Robbins training, journey, career:

Answer 4

• Tudor worked on character and also he would repeat phrases until he got what he wanted
• reputation of being a perfectionist, difficult taskmaster

Question 5

Cultural struggles:

Answer 5

-Sandor suggested he changed his name to a more American sounding one

Question 6

Choreographic career, Fancy Free:

Answer 6

• 1944 Fancy Free
• his initial ideas were considered too grandiose
• worked with Leonard Bernstein who was unknown at the time
• about 3 sailors on leave in NYC
• changed the face of American ballet
• audiences could relate and it was current
• gave Robbins success

Question 7

On the town:

Answer 7

• 1994
• followed similar themes of 3 sailors in New York
• again worked with Bernstein
• the success of both quickly established Robbins as choreographer of the moment
• worked with established producer George Abbot who was known for his ruthless personality

Question 8

Choreographic career:

Answer 8

• after these 2 works he began to direct
• his works aimed to have a story, characters and a point
• worked on Broadway
• retired from performance in 1952
• 1954 co-directed The Pajama Game, Bob Fosse choreographed
• Peter Pan, Bells are Ringing
• choreographed film version of The King and I
• 1964 choreographed fiddler on the roof
• choreographed 2 masterpieces for the NYCB afternoon of a faun and The Concert

Question 9

Troubles in his personal life:

Answer 9

• had relationships with both men and women
• Robbins appeared before the House of Un-American Activities Committee, admitted membership to the Communist Party, named 8 other members, his decision haunted him, made in the centre of autobiographical piece The Poppa Piece

Question 10

Basis of WSS:

Answer 10

-a retelling of Romeo and Juliet set against a background of gang warfare in New York’s Puerto Rican ghetto

Question 11

How was WSS a ‘concept musical’?

Answer 11

• commented on social problems of the time such as gang warfare, racism, immigration - real life and real life situations
• performers had to act sing and dance in equal measures - an unprecedented demand
• the movement was the driving force of the narrative, the choreography imparted information that words could not

Question 12

Influence of Gluck Sandor:

Answer 12

• hybrid choreographer

- expressive theatrical style

Question 13

About New Dance Group:

Answer 13

• dedicated to social change through dance and movement
• set up by students from Hanya Holm’s studio - her technique stressed the importance of pulse, planes, floor patterns, direction and spatial dimensions
• would have a class, improvisation then discussion of social issues
• 2 rules: dance about something important to you and create work so that the audience can understand the dance’s thrust

Question 14

About George Balanchine:

Answer 14

• fusion of modern concepts with older ideas of classical ballet
• “the important thing is ballet is the movement itself”
• “the visual spectacle, not the story, is the essential element”

Question 15

Influence of New dance group:

Answer 15

-social statements, make dance accessible to a wide audience

Question 16

Influence of Balanchine

Answer 16

-fusion of traditional with new concepts, musicality, visual spectacle

Question 17

About Antony Tudor:

Answer 17

-believed ballet should engage the general public
-his exploration of the emotional choreography and psychological content changed classical ballet forever
-he chose universal themes such as death, societal oppression and the nuances of personal relationships, exploring emotions at a primal level
-similarly to Robbins he was a perfectionist
-his dancers had to have “feeling, sensitivity, soul, artistry and intelligence”
“emotion through motion”

Question 18

Influence of Tudor:

Answer 18

-working methods, dramatic content, dancers ‘living’ the moment,internalising the inner state of his characters

Question 19

About Agnes de Mille:

Answer 19

-created her own style, blending classical with modern
-added lyricism and comedy
=creates Oklahoma! a musical which integrated the choreography with the plot in a way that hadn’t been done before

Question 20

Influence of Agnes de Mille:

Answer 20

• dream ballet sequence

- individual characterisation vitally important, blending styles of movement and theatre

Question 21

What made WSS such a success, change the face of musical theatre and made Robbins considered a genius?

Answer 21

• the way he used movement to say what words cannot
• choreography to progress the narrative
• created a depth of emotion and character
• draws attention to destructive social issues that were prevalent
• against the background of Shakespearian classic R and J

Question 22

Robbins’ character:

Answer 22

• challenged every cast member to totally understand their role so that they lived their character on stage/film
• created a real understanding of gang culture within the cast - kept the two groups separate and pinned newspaper cuttings
• relentless in rehearsal, drive for ultimate perfection
• he would repeat phrases over and over until he got what he wanted
• his attention to detail was all-encompassing

Question 23

Typical trademarks of Robbin’s work:

Answer 23

• narrative
• characterisation
• links to current issues/social references
• cultural references
• musicality
• setting

Question 24

How does Robbins use narrative and how is it linked to other works?

Answer 24

• storylines that audience can relate to
• took Shakespearean play and created modern day parallels that provoked an emotional response
• Fiddler on the roof - used his personal background to get an empathetic response to the difficulties faced by the Jewish community
• classical pieces such as The Concert series of observations of human behaviour and imagination

Question 25

How did Robbins link to social issues in his works?

Answer 25

• Fancy Free which was based on American sailors on shore leave was topical at the time
• WSS made connections to what was going on in New York and showed a grim reality

Question 26

What cultural references does Robbins make in his works?

Answer 26

• Fiddler on the Roof linked his own Jewish roots
• The King and I brought together a blend of English and Siamese culture making a stark comparison between the two yet uniting them
• WSS demonstrated differences between American and Puerto Rican culture

Question 27

What is an important part of his work especially in the choreography of WSS?

Answer 27

• musicality
• choreography and music are very closely linked
• every nuance, pause, shift in dynamic was discovered and delivered

Question 28

How does Robbins use setting in his work?

Answer 28

• in musical theatre he would create a realistic environment on stage
• Fancy Free although classical has a musical theatre feel and was placed in the realistic setting of a New York bar
• classical works tended to use a blank, open stage with just hints of theme to support the choreography - allowed movement to be the main focus
• e.g. En Sol used a simple background portraying a sun and waves which is echoed on the costumes
• The Concert is a blank stage apart from the piano and other props

Question 29

Typical movements in WSS:

Answer 29

• the click/finger snap
• pencil jump
• jazz 4th
• low crouched ready position with arms in front
• grand battements to second on releve, arms extended, one straight up other to side, fingers outstretched, focus upwards
• Mambo - swishing skirts, rhythmic stamping feet, inverted hands in 4th, isolations of shoulders and hips

Question 30

Who did his sister Sonia introduce him to and what did they do for him?

Answer 30

• Irma Duncan and Gluck Sandor

- awarded him an apprenticeship in his modern dance company, he then appeared in a production choreographed by Sandor

Question 31

What did he do at Tamiment and what was it?

Answer 31

• he started dancing and choreographing at Tamiment progressive resort,
• he choreographed in a number of styles such as Burlesque or dramatic works

Question 32

What happened that was a revelation and when?

Answer 32

• in 1939
• he saw Swan Lake which
• he realised the classical vocabulary allowed you to say anything you wanted in dance, this changed everything

Question 33

Who did he meet at Tamiment?

Answer 33

-worked on a number of Broadway shows where he met George Balanchine

Question 34

who were Robbins’ first teachers who influenced him?

Answer 34

Anthony Tudor and Agnes De Mille

Question 35

what was Robbins’ first dancing job?

Answer 35

• with Ballet Theatre
• danced contemporary and traditional classical Russian repertoire
• had the tutelage of Anthony Tudor and Agnes De Mille

Question 36

what was his first major role and what impact did this have on him?

Answer 36

• Petroushka

- inspired him to create real characters onstage

Question 37

what happened in 1949 and how did the relationship with the person he met there help him?

Answer 37

• joined George Balanchine’s New York City Ballet as associate artistic director
• gave him security and a sense of kinship that nourished his genius

Question 38

what was Anthony Tudor’s working style?

Answer 38

• worked a lot on character

- would repeat phrases until he got what he wanted

Question 39

what was Robbins’ reputation as a teacher/choreographer?

Answer 39

• difficult taskmaster

- perfectionist