Jerome Robbins

Biographical Information

Jerome Rabinowitz was born on October 11th 1918, Robbins original name was Rabinowitz, however it translates to “son of a rabbi”, a name that Jerome Robbins never really liked, since it marked him as the son of an immigrant, so he took the name "Robbins" in the early 1920s, as the Rabinowitz family moved to New Jersey. Jerome was a chemistry student in high school, but as the money gave out, he tried dance after years of being dragged along to his sisters lessons, and miraculously felt free and happy, frequently writing in his diary which actually became his first high school composition. Robbins had studied a wide array of dance traditions, appeared with the Gluck Sandor–Felicia Sorel Dance Centre, and danced in the chorus of several Broadway musicals. In 1940 he joined Ballet Theatre (now American Ballet Theatre), where he was enabled to start dancing such important roles as Petrouchka. 

Robbins new found passion for dance left him craving lessons, which he payed for by selling crazy things such as eggs to gain enough money to pay for them, which is determination at its finest.Robbins then went on to getting a dance scholarship to Sandoors Modern Dance Company - they took him on as an Apprentice and enabled him to land his first job in "Brothers Ashkenazi"(1936).\
By the time Robbins was age 22 dance was his light at the end of the tunnel and became his only dream. That summer Jerome went to a summer resort showbiz boot camp where he met the likes of Imogene Coca, where he created imitation ballet.


Creative Approach and Influences

Robbins wasn't a classical ballet dancer but stood out comedically, dramatically,and romantically which gave him that unique edge.Anthony Tutor was a tutor to Robbins and he admired George Balanchine who was definitely an inspiration to Robbins, and &after seeing "Swan Lake" Robbins felt like everything had clicked into place, and seeing the piece changed him. "Fancy Free"(1944) was Jerome Robbins first full length piece, it has been described as very floaty with casual movement This 1944 ballet was about three sailors on shore leave in New York City during World War II.  "Fancy Free" was Robbins only straight-forward narrative ballet with representative characters in a clear dramatic situationBefore the creation of this Robbins began to think "Why can't we make something American, something current and today." 
This then became more present in "Fancy Free" as the sailors were choreographed Spanish moves, swivelling hips,rolls, and isolation's that Robbins had perfected. (These Spanish movements are also present in "West Side Story"."Fancy Free" received amazing reviews, and was definitely a piece that uplifted people  during the war, especially due to the fact that American people were dancing like European dancers.  
"Fancy Free" was re-invented 8-months later as "On The Town"(1998) as it premiered on Broadway and Robbins was highlighted as a new hottest allet Broadway choreographer."On The Town" starred an all American cast.

Jerome Robbins was massively passionate about dance, and as a choreographer was incredibly predictable,inquisitive, and the definition of a perfectionist when it came to doing what he loved. As well as being a perfectionist everything had a way of being done, and dancers would dance over and over until it was exactly how he wanted it. During the creation of West Side Story did you know that the cast of Sharks and Jets were not allowed to meet each other? The first time they met was on set for filming, which kept the segregation between the Puerto Ricans and New Yorkers very alive. Robbins was a fan of characters being very "real" and alive not just playing a role, but being and immersing themselves within a role to give an inspiring performance.

From a young age Jerome Robbins had always been a perfectionist, and was described as very "inquisitive" yet difficult to work with because of his vicious temper. Jerome had a strong ballet influence for his first period and an expressionist for his second period which you can see in West Side Story's "Dance at the gym" with the extremely classical arm lines and closings.

The idea for a the musical that is now West Side Story had come almost a decade later than  when Robbins brought the idea of a contemporary Romeo and Juliet to Bernstein and playwright Arthur Laurents. The project stalled for over 5 years, as nobody had faith or would put money into funding such a different type of musical that didn't even have a happy ending, until an article in the Los Angeles Times about gang violence renewed peoples interest. Instead of star-crossed lovers of Jewish and Irish Catholic descent, as Robbins had originally suggested, the protagonists became a Polish-American boy and a Puerto Rican girl in New York City. Bernstein brought in the untried Stephen Sondheim to write the lyrics.