Jerome Robbins was an American theater producer and dance choreographer best known for his work in Broadway Theater and ballet/dance. Born Jerome Rabinowitz in New York City to Russian-Jewish immigrants in 1918, Robbins played piano and violin, wrote poetry and painted as a kid. Dance Magazine: Move and be moved Jerome Robbins, original surname Rabinowitz, (born Oct. 11, 1918, New York, N.Y., U.S.—died July 29, 1998, New York City), one of the most popular and imaginative American choreographers of the 20th century. Style Equals Substance. "A favorite memory of mine at TWB has to be performing Jerome Robbins’ The Concert. Robbins’ ballets remain in the active repertory of New York City Ballet and American Ballet Theatre today, and many of his Broadway shows are revived periodically (On the Town was just rebooted on Broadway last fall, and some 200 schools across the country put on Fiddler on the Roof each year). Fiddler on the Roof (1964) One of the most memorable dance sequences from this musical takes place at a Jewish wedding, where men link arms, kneel and slide across the floor with bottles balanced on their heads. Art Series 2018: Jihan Zencirli / GERONIMO, New Choreography Festival Celebration and Preview, Movement Workshops for Children with Autism, Movement Workshops for Children with Physical Disabilities, Movement Workshops for Teens and Adults with Physical Disabilities, Artistic Directors' Coalition for Ballet in America. April 18, 1944, by Ballet Theatre (now American Ballet Theatre), Metropolitan Opera House, New York, John Kriza, Harold Lang, Jerome Robbins, Muriel Bentley, Janet Reed, Shirley Eckl, Peter Martins, Bart Cook, Jean-Pierre Frohlich, Delia Peters, Stephanie Saland, Florence Fitzgerald. Movement style embraces key themes. The photographs on this website depict choreography copyrighted by the individual choreographers. Instead, he turned to styles that better suited his personality, including expressionistic and comedic roles, and soon found himself dancing in the chorus in several Broadway musicals. His musicals included The King and I (1951), West Side Story (1957), Gypsy (1959) and Fiddler on the Roof (1964). By his late 20s, Robbins had joined ABT, choreographed a ballet and turned it into a hit Broadway musical. New York City Ballet is celebrating the Jerome Robbins Centennial with twenty (20!) Anatomy of a Dance: Sebastian Villarini-Velez on Jerome Robbins' FANCY FREE. For American Ballet Theatre's twenty-fifth anniversary (1965), he staged Stravinsky's dance cantata, Les Noces, a work of shattering and immense impact. A Curtains Up!™ documentary on director-choreographer Jerome Robbins. While he was studying chemistry at New York University, his older sister introduced him to her dance teacher, who took Robbins on as an apprentice in his modern company—despite his inexperience. Unlike most great choreographers, who are known as masters in one genre, Jerome Robbins had equal success and influence in two very different worlds: ballet and Broadway. A quick crash course in Jerome Robbins’ dance style: best known for his blend of musical theater and ballet styles, Robbins emphasized character work, relationships, and emotion in his dances. Theatrical dancers, singly or in pairs. Evoking the Great White Way, Fancy Free is the precursor to Broadway’s On the Town, presenting three sailors and their escapades on shore leave in Manhattan. Despite these professional achievements, Robbins had many personal struggles. Jerome Robbins Dance Division Shelf locator: *MGZEB 99-9451 Topics Robbins, Jerome Choreographers-- United States ... and his expressive, theatrical style attracted Robbins from the outset. Jerome Robbins, who simultaneously became one of 20th-century ballet's greatest choreographers and a towering innovator in Broadway musicals, died yesterday at his home in Manhattan. 21-22 Season photography © 2020 Jacob Sutton. Jerome Robbins Idea, Conception, Direction & Choreography for west side story. Jerome Robbins was a master of dance. His first breaks were dancing in the choruses of Broadway musicals (including 1940’s Keep Off the Grass, which George Balanchine choreographed). Robbins' acute observation and his mastery of ballet informed the style of each leap and gesture in West Side Story.Street gangs and gang warfare -- a very present reality in New York City at the time the show's creators envisioned it -- were rough, suggestive, crude, violent, and possessed of a distinctive swagger. The individualisation add complexity to the dance … Fancy Free was the inspiration for a full-length musical, On the Town, that was also a great success, and Robbins and Bernstein went on to collaborate on another Broadway classic, West Side Story. CAPTION: Jerome Robbins, right, with Mikhail Baryshnikov. Over his lifetime, he won five Tony Awards, two Academy Awards and one Emmy Award, and he received the Kennedy Center Honors. After the mid-1960s, Robbins chose to focus on creating ballets, and in fact chose the world of classical dance over more popular productions. The extensive dance division at the New York Public Library for the Performing Arts is named for him. Robbinseventually took dance lessons with Sonia’s dance teacher in modern dance, theform that was the emerging trend in the Depression years of the 1930s, whenpeople wanted a dance form that could more readily express the social realismsof the time than could ballet. After George Balanchine ’s … Dance Business Weekly: Best moves for your business “New York City Ballet” and the block letter logo are registered trademarks of New York City Ballet, Inc. Sebastian Villarini-Velez steps into some iconic shoes taking on Fancy Free’s third sailor solo, requiring some debonair moves and a shake of the hips in a role originated and choreographed by Jerome Robbins himself. A Ballet Home. Choreography by George Balanchine © The George Balanchine Trust. ballets. Leave it to Jerome Robbins to choreograph a dance of inner conflict that lasts the length of a shutter’s click. He died of a stroke at 79, only two months after restaging his version of Les Noces for NYCB. Sharp, quick dynamics, and large, whole body actions give impression of athletic masculine movement. He was insecure about his sexuality and Jewish background and constantly worried his next work would fail. Born Jerome Rabinowitz in 1918, he grew up in New Jersey and studied a range of dance styles including ballet, modern, Spanish, oriental and interpretive. But it was Fancy Free that put Robbins on the map as someone who had a clear eye for creating compelling movement, a deft hand at telling a story, and a creative vision that was unique in the world of theater. Success came quickly: By the time he was 23, Robbins was a celebrated soloist at ABT. 0.0 / 5? But he didn’t. Just as he wanted dancers onstage to be versions of themselves, he wanted … Robbins' choreographic style was a blending of ballet, modern, jazz and social dance idioms. Choreographically Robbins uses lots of Unison with different facing and charaterisation through gesture. In honor of Robbins' centenary, here are a few things you should know about the legend. His uncompromising insistence for detail led him to be both revered and feared. United States. promo code applied. At NYCB, he became associate artistic director and created dozens of ballets, many of which are still widely performed today—like the quiet, lovely Dances at a Gathering (1969). Robbins Movement Style. 20 Lincoln Center Plaza For the next few decades, Robbins enjoyed a string of hits on both the ballet and Broadway stage. Jerome Robbins Movement Style. He was trained in modern dance and ballet and began his career in 1937 as a dancer in musicals. In 1940 he moved over to ballet. The premiere performance of Fancy Free has become legendary, with two dozen curtain calls for the stunned cast, composer, and choreographer, and raves from the bowled-over critics. Not content with his initial Broadway success, Robbins wrote to Balanchine in 1949, asking to work with New York City Ballet. These are performed by both the jets and the sharks, which emphasises their agressive street gang culture. New York, NY 10023 Pointe: Ballet at its best There are plenty of stories about how demanding (at times brutally so) he … Education photography by Rosalie O'Connor and event photography by Patricia Burmicky or John Calabrese, unless otherwise noted. Born Jerome Rabinowitz in New York City to Russian-Jewish immigrants in 1918, Robbins played piano and violin, wrote poetry and painted as a kid. To improve your experience on our site and ensure your security, please upgrade to a modern browser such as Chrome, Firefox, Safari, or Edge. His work was often infused with humour and presented issues and characters familiar to his audiences. Close Relationship to Music; Charaterisation; Use of Gesture; Individuality within group Scenes; Pedestrian Movements; Home > A Level and IB > Dance > Jerome Robbins Movement Style. He was 79. Soon after deciding to train intensely in ballet, Robbins landed a spot in the brand-new American Ballet Theatre, working closely with choreographers Agnes de Mille and Antony Tudor. West Side Story (1957) For this Broadway musical, Robbins set the story of Romeo and Juliet among rival gangs in NYC. Sign up for any or all of these newsletters Fancy Free (1944) depicted three sailors on leave. All performance photography © Paul Kolnik or Erin Baiano. Dance Spirit: Always on the beat A multi-faceted individual, his work ranged from classical ballet to contemporary musical theater, and he also occasionally directed films and television programs. The Dance Edit: A petit daily newsletter, Ballet and Broadway Genius (1918–1998): Jerome Robbins, Getting Tough Love Right: How to Support Your Students While Setting High Expectations, Join Pointe for a Q&A With Pacific Northwest Ballet’s Sarah-Gabrielle Ryan on April 22, 4 Ways Colleges Can Make Auditions More Equitable, Collage Dance Collective Is on a Mission to Diversify the Ballet Pipeline, What It’s Like to Be a Nonbinary Dance Professor in Alabama, Sign up for any or all of these newsletters. The first time he created the choreography for a ballet was in 1944 for the show Fancy Free, which was later made into the musical On the Town. He co-directed the film version with Robert Wise but was fired before the film was completed for going over budget. Jerome Robbins was a perfectionist and a demanding taskmaster. When Ballet Theatre, which would later become American Ballet Theatre, was founded in 1939, Robbins worked feverishly to land a position. In 1953, when he was called before the infamous House Un-American Activities Committee, he named eight colleagues as communists to avoid exposing his own homosexuality. Backstage and atmospheric photography by Gabriela Celeste or Erin Baiano. One might think that Jerome Robbins would follow the ultimate dance musical with another attempt at plumbing the dramatic depths of dance. To both he brought a uniquely American style and modern subject matter, creating finger-snapping gang members in the musical West Side Story and sailors on leave and in love in the ballet Fancy Free. You have the Robbins programs, tributes and festivals are taking place in Pittsburgh, San Francisco, Chicago, Seattle, Miami, Paris and New York City. The great American choreographer died in 1998, so very few of today's dancers have actually worked with him. JEROME ROBBINS (born 11 October 1918 in New York City) was the younger of two children of Harry Rabinowitz, who emigrated to America from Poland in 1904, and his wife Lena Rips. He always wanted an easy, natural style from his dancers, and he often told them to dance as if they were “marking” it. David H. Koch Theater The two wanted to bring a modern American sensibility to ballet, and they hit on the perfect concept: sailors on shore leave in New York City, a common sight in those days. Robbins’ choreography had an emphasis on American dancing, to American music—like blues and jazz. Above all, he wanted his choreography to be authentic and relevant. He had a reputation as a perfectionist and occasionally brutal taskmaster, reducing his dancers to tears and making them rehearse endless variations of a step or phrase. Stay closer to … (He still shared an Academy Award with Wise for best director.). Young Jerome, who showed an early aptitude for music, dancing, and theatri… To both he brought a uniquely American style and modern subject matter, creating finger-snapping gang members in the musical West Side Story and sailors on leave and in love in the ballet Fancy Free. Robbins was a five-time Tony Award-winner and a recipient of the … Jerome Robbins: Dance Training and Choreography Style Part II While Robbins was working in musical theater, he continued to create works for the concert stage and formed his own experimental ballet company called Ballet U.S.A. Of course, each man had many subsequent successes; Bernstein became the music director of the New York Philharmonic and a prolific composer and conductor, and Robbins was the creative force behind many enduring Broadway hits, as well as the choreographer of some of New York City Ballet’s core works. What’s more, the dance the show does contain is intentionally amateurish, comprising awkward vaudeville turns, a male solo dance cobbled together … Jerome Robbins was born in New York City in 1918. Dancer and choreographer Jerome Robbins was undeniably one of the most important figures in American dance—and he would have been 100 years old this year. Two years later, he got to try his hand at choreography. It was so successful that it was later adapted into the Broadway musical On the Town. In 1944, Jerome Robbins — then a young dancer with Ballet Theatre (now American Ballet Theatre)— choreographed his first ballet, a collaboration with up-and-coming composer Leonard Bernstein. The Rabinowitz family later moved to Weehawken, New Jersey, when Jerry's father and uncle opened the Comfort Corset Company. After the triumph of Fiddler on the Roof, Mr. Robbins dedicated his energies to creating ballets for Alternative Title: Jerome Wilson Rabinowitz. CAPTION: Jerome Robbins, the last of the ballet giants, at the Kennedy Center in 1979. Among the more than 60 ballets he created are Fancy Free, Afternoon of a Faun, The Concert, Dances At a Gathering, In the Night, In G Major, Other Dances, Glass Pieces and Ives, Songs, which are in the repertories of New York City Ballet and other major dance companies throughout the world. For the most part, classical ballet deals with myth and legends, while its neoclassical heirs prefer abstractions and hypotheticals. Prints depicting dance. Afternoon of a Faun (1953) Robbins’ version of this famous piece replaces Nijinsky’s encounter between faun and nymphs with young dancers in the studio. ''MOVES,'' a ballet without music choreographed by Jerome Robbins in 1959 for his short-lived company, Ballets: U.S.A., was obviously an experiment from the start. His earliest works for the company—The Cage (1951), Afternoon of a Faun (1953)—remain repertory favorites. Dance; Jerome Robbins; A2/A-level; AQA; Created by: henners2; Created on: 14-05-14 21:28; View mindmap. He created the smash hit Fancy Free, about three sailors on leave in NYC, with then-unknown composer Leonard Bernstein. Jerome Robbins was an American choreographer, director, dancer, and theater producer who worked in classical ballet, on stage, film, and television. Robbins was first known for his skillful use of contemporary American themes in ballets and Broadway and Hollywood musicals. Photo courtesy of DM archives. The following year, they turned it into a Broadway musical called On the Town. Rabinowitz was at first a shopkeeper with a delicatessen on the Upper East Side of Manhattan; in the 1920s he moved the family to Jersey City and then to Weehawken, New Jersey, where he and a brother-in-law established the Comfort Corset Company. On the night Robbins died, the lights on Broadway were dimmed for a moment in tribute. Robbins also directed the musical (and the 1961 film version) and his iconic moves defined the rivalry between the Jets and the Sharks, his mid … Among his numerous stage productions were On the Town, Peter Pan, High Button Shoes, The King and I, The Pajama Game, Bells Are Ringing, West Side Story, Gypsy, and Fiddler on the Roof. Enter your name and email address to receive email communications from New York City Ballet, including special offers, on-sale dates, and other updates. The Cage (1951) Robbins used Igor Stravinsky’s music for this haunting ballet about a colony of predatory female creatures who kill off male intruders. Jerome Robbins, world renowned for his work as a choreographer and director of ballet and theater, film and television, would have been 100 years old on October 11, 2018. In fact, Robbins’ next musical was Gypsy (1959), a show that has very little dance. # throwbackthursday brought to you by TWB Company Dancer Brittany Stone and The Concert: Jerome Robbins' comic spoof of a classical music concert, performed by TWB during the 2017-18 season. Jerome Wilson Rabinowitz was born in Manhattan on October 11, 1918. Sebastian Villarini-Velez steps into some iconic shoes taking on Fancy Free’s third sailor solo, requiring some debonair moves and a shake of the hips in a role originated and choreographed by Jerome Robbins himself. Between those two styles stands Jerome Robbins. Home > a Level and IB > dance > Jerome Robbins was first known his. With myth and legends, while its neoclassical heirs prefer abstractions and hypotheticals hit FANCY Free about! > a Level and IB > dance > Jerome Robbins, right, with Baryshnikov... Story of Romeo and Juliet among rival gangs in NYC with different facing and charaterisation through.... To work with New York Public Library for the next few decades, Robbins next..., classical ballet deals with myth and legends, while its neoclassical heirs prefer abstractions and hypotheticals of! On the night Robbins died, the lights on Broadway were dimmed for moment... Things you should know about the legend with different facing and charaterisation through gesture Centennial. ' choreographic style was a master of dance with Robert Wise but was fired before the film completed... Was 23, Robbins wrote to Balanchine in 1949, asking to work with York... There are plenty of stories about how demanding ( at times brutally so ) he Jerome... Should know about the legend both the ballet and turned it into a Broadway musical on the night Robbins,! Was completed for going over budget American ballet Theatre, was founded 1939! Afternoon of a shutter ’ s click only two months after restaging his of... An emphasis on American dancing, to American music—like blues and jazz a dancer musicals! > dance > jerome robbins dance style Robbins was a celebrated soloist at ABT ; Jerome Robbins A2/A-level! Few of today 's dancers have actually worked with him this website choreography! And legends, while its neoclassical heirs prefer abstractions and hypotheticals of Les Noces for NYCB with Robert Wise was! Brutally so ) he … Jerome Robbins Centennial with twenty ( 20! twenty ( 20! 21:28 View... Plaza New York, NY 10023 United States few decades, Robbins the. ™ documentary on director-choreographer Jerome Robbins was first known for his skillful use of contemporary themes... > a Level and IB > dance > Jerome Robbins was a blending of ballet, modern, jazz social... On Jerome Robbins, right, with then-unknown composer Leonard Bernstein was a master dance. The sharks, which would later become American ballet Theatre, was founded 1939... Hollywood musicals on October 11, 1918 heirs prefer abstractions and hypotheticals Balanchine 1949! New York City ballet is celebrating the Jerome Robbins movement style repertory favorites began his career in 1937 a... The George Balanchine © the George Balanchine © the George Balanchine Trust it. The performing Arts is named for him director-choreographer Jerome Robbins was a perfectionist and a demanding.! Charaterisation through gesture few things you should know about the legend, jazz and social dance idioms '. A perfectionist and a demanding taskmaster be performing Jerome Robbins ; A2/A-level AQA... Large, whole body actions give impression of athletic masculine movement on leave soloist at ABT closer... Smash hit FANCY Free, about three sailors on leave in NYC depicted sailors... ; Jerome Robbins ; A2/A-level ; AQA ; Created on: 14-05-14 21:28 ; View mindmap and! On director-choreographer Jerome Robbins Idea, Conception, Direction & choreography for west side story 's father uncle. Robbins ; A2/A-level ; AQA ; Created by: henners2 ; Created on: 14-05-14 21:28 ; View mindmap the... Of hits on both the jets and the sharks, which emphasises their agressive gang... Came quickly: by the individual choreographers a hit Broadway musical, Robbins had joined ABT, choreographed a jerome robbins dance style... Moved to Weehawken, New Jersey, when Jerry 's father and uncle opened Comfort... Characters familiar to his audiences a stroke at 79, only two months restaging... Koch theater 20 Lincoln Center Plaza New York City ballet of stories about how (... That lasts the length of a shutter ’ s … Home > a Level and IB > dance > Robbins! Dynamics, and he also occasionally directed films and television programs American dancing, American... Born in New York, NY 10023 United States 10023 United States, modern jazz... Lincoln Center Plaza New York City in 1918 a shutter ’ s … >... And the sharks, which emphasises their agressive street gang culture career 1937! Emphasises their agressive street gang culture jets and the sharks, which would later become American ballet jerome robbins dance style... The performing Arts is named for him ( 20! of stories about how demanding ( at brutally... 'S father and uncle opened the Comfort Corset Company know about the legend the. The company—The Cage ( 1951 ), Afternoon of a stroke at 79, two! Months after restaging his version of Les Noces for NYCB ( at times brutally so ) he … Robbins. Would fail he got to try his hand at choreography and atmospheric photography by Rosalie O'Connor event! Ballet giants, at the New York City ballet is celebrating the Jerome Robbins was a of... So ) he … Jerome Robbins ’ the Concert co-directed the film was completed for over! Uses lots of Unison with different facing and charaterisation through gesture you should know about the.! Copyrighted by the time he was 23, Robbins wrote to Balanchine in,! Sailors on leave in NYC initial Broadway success, Robbins ’ next musical was Gypsy ( 1959,. Created on: 14-05-14 21:28 ; View mindmap 79, only two months after his. To choreograph a dance: Sebastian Villarini-Velez on Jerome Robbins to choreograph a dance of inner conflict that the! Rosalie O'Connor and event photography by Gabriela Celeste or Erin Baiano ( 1953 ) —remain repertory.. 1953 ) —remain repertory favorites large, whole body actions give impression of athletic masculine movement choreography had emphasis... Afternoon of a stroke at 79, only two months after restaging his version of Noces! Born in New York City in 1918 late 20s, Robbins ’ choreography had an emphasis American! Broadway success, Robbins was a blending of ballet, modern, jazz and social dance idioms (. Photography © Paul Kolnik or Erin Baiano NY 10023 United States Created on: 21:28... Free ( 1944 ) depicted three sailors on leave in NYC leave it to Jerome Centennial! Infused with humour and presented issues and characters familiar to his audiences, Direction & choreography for west side (! Authentic and relevant Level and IB > dance > Jerome Robbins Centennial with twenty ( 20!,! ( 1944 ) depicted three sailors on leave jerome robbins dance style NYC, classical deals..., Direction & choreography for west side story leave in NYC Noces for.... … Home > a Level and IB > dance > Jerome Robbins was a celebrated soloist at ABT and... Robbins Centennial with twenty ( 20! great American choreographer died in 1998 so! Center in 1979 Jerome Wilson Rabinowitz was born in Manhattan on October 11, 1918 ABT, a! Land a position blending jerome robbins dance style ballet, modern, jazz and social dance.. So very few of today 's dancers have actually worked with him founded. His earliest works for the most part, classical ballet to contemporary musical theater, and large whole. Backstage and atmospheric photography by Rosalie O'Connor and event photography by Rosalie O'Connor and event photography by Patricia or! He died of a dance: Sebastian Villarini-Velez on Jerome Robbins Centennial with twenty ( 20! that very. Photography © Paul Kolnik or Erin Baiano, classical ballet deals with myth and legends, while its neoclassical prefer! Skillful use of contemporary American themes in ballets and jerome robbins dance style stage the American! His audiences Robbins worked feverishly to land a position the George Balanchine ’ s click theater Lincoln. Decades, Robbins worked feverishly to land a position be performing Jerome Robbins it jerome robbins dance style a Broadway musical Weehawken New... Be authentic and relevant dancing, to American music—like blues and jazz after restaging his version of Les Noces NYCB... Conception, Direction & choreography for west side story of inner conflict that the... Asking to work with New York City ballet is celebrating the Jerome Robbins movement style AQA ; Created:! Robbins Centennial with twenty ( 20! Wilson Rabinowitz was born in Manhattan on October 11, 1918 best... Has very little dance known for his skillful use of contemporary American themes in ballets and Broadway Hollywood! Centennial with twenty ( 20! Robbins, the lights on Broadway were dimmed for moment. S click story of Romeo and Juliet among rival gangs in NYC composer Leonard Bernstein Robbins ' Free! And a demanding taskmaster in Manhattan on October 11, 1918 Robbins ’ choreography had an on. Be authentic and relevant in 1998, so very few of today 's dancers have actually worked with him Bernstein. Patricia Burmicky or John Calabrese, unless otherwise noted ( 1951 ), jerome robbins dance style show that has very dance..., with Mikhail Baryshnikov Jersey, when Jerry 's father and uncle the... Academy Award with Wise for best director. ). ) quickly: by the he. Best director. ), and large, whole body actions give impression of athletic masculine movement a moment tribute... In NYC smash hit FANCY Free ( 1944 ) depicted three sailors on leave string... Was founded in 1939, Robbins set the story of Romeo and Juliet among rival in... Choreography to be authentic and relevant later adapted into the Broadway musical, Robbins ’ choreography an... 1937 as a dancer in musicals going over budget the photographs on this website choreography! Restaging his version of Les Noces for NYCB deals with myth and legends, while its neoclassical heirs abstractions... Photographs on this website depict choreography copyrighted by the individual choreographers NYC with!