Jerome Robbins

Jerome Robbins was known as one of the great choreographers of all time, as a genius, as a friend to the rich and famous (and, indeed, “one of them”: He danced with Lauren Bacall at Truman Capote’s Black and White Ball), as one of the four closeted gay Jewish men who made West Side Story , as a person who enjoyed humiliating young male ballet dancers during rehearsals and referring to some of the female ones with the four-letter word that begins with a “c,” as an informer, and as co-founding choreographer, with George Balanchine, of the New York City Ballet. Any man known for so much must have been a great man or a great scoundrel, or both. When I came to New York in 1988, Balanchine was already dead five years, but Jerry Robbins and City…

At the moment of the creation of West Side Story there were many incidents about gangs’ rivalry and high incidents in which gangs of opposite races where either injured or loss their lives. As expressed by one of the creators of the musical, Jerome Robbins, he reported that he would go and speak with the gang leaders to see which ideas he can gather for the musical, he reports that he refused to believe that he was documenting on gangs and their behavior and practices. (Herrera). Based on the…

Over at NYCB, for the past three weeks night after night houses have been heavily sold and celebrities (Mandy Patinkin, Tommy Tune, and countless ballet luminaries from the past like Mikhail Baryshikov, Patricia McBride, Wendy Whelan, etc.) have been spotted at many performances. The Jerome Robbins Centennial Celebration was certainly a box office success. I didn't get to every all-Robbins performance but I did see three programs (Interplay/The Cage/Other Dances/Fanfare, In G Major/Afternoon of…

Working a Musical was performed at the Tillie Lewis Theater adapted by Stephen Schwartz and Nina Faso from the book by Studs Terkel directed by Ashlee Temple. Working a Musical was a play on the American working class which shined light onto the daily lives of the average American worker. It depicted some of the hardships that most of the American public have to endure, but the play also had a few wealthier characters. This play is not about working but rather what America is all about. One of…

Film Adaptations: Romeo and Juliet (1968) and West Side Story (1961) Many films have been created based on novels and play scripts. Plays have transitioned from performances on stage to the big cinema screens. Since many legendary play scripts were created before our century, American film directors had to ask themselves, “How can an older piece of work interest the audience of today?”. Directors found it challenging to express an original piece of work while attempting to interest the minds…

One day in June, I can’t quite remember the exact date, but it was June 2015. As I was scrolling down my Facebook newsfeed one particular post caught my attention. The post consisted of a photo heading in big bold, all caps, red letters: BIGBANG 2015 WORLD TOUR [MADE] and underneath read: Los Angeles Staple Center Oct 3, 2015. I couldn’t believe what I was reading that I had to reread a few times. I knew they were on a world tour but there was no news on them coming to the United States. My…

Many dancers now are turned away because they are simply taller than the mandated height, sometimes they will be turned away based on their body types, yet having a thin body was a recent development by the famous George Balanchine. Commonly referred to as the ‘Balanchine Body’, this ideal body type that first began in the 1900’s shapes what we see as the perfect ballet body yet what is said and done in whispers behind closed theater doors, dressing rooms, and practice rooms, is often nowhere…

A ray of light in a world filled with darkness--that is what NYCB is. And on every occasion the company presents Jerome Robbins' sublime, majestic The Goldberg Variations that light shines even brighter. Especially if the work is as lovingly performed as it was on Saturday evening by Ashley Bouder, Sterling Hyltin, and Sara Mearns (from all three of whom I have been accustomed to expect efforts of the highest caliber); Lauren Lovette, Emilie Gerrity, Anthony Huxley, Taylor Stanley, Daniel…

show would be Leonard Bernstein’s West Side Story. West Side Story seemed to follow the conventions of the Rodgers and Hammerstein II duos. There are many similarities between this musical and the duos’ shows. For example, there are multiple love affairs involved (Anita and Bernardo, Tony and Maria). There are aspects of the music that help the audience relate to the characters and show each of the characters’ complexities. The dramatic elements of the story are not only enhanced by the…

St. Jerome was born at Stido, Dalmatia in 340 AD he learned alot from his dad, a Roman Catholic but was sent to Rome by his father. There he studied many things and became fluent in Latin and Greek. Learning those languages helped him in becoming very valuable to the Popes of that time. St. Jerome was best known for translating the Old Testament from Hebrew to Latin called the Vulgate. St. Jerome is often associated with symbols like a lion, Cardinal attire and books and writing material. He`s…