Jerome Robbins

·        Jerome Robbins his original surname Rabinowitz was one of the most popular and imaginative American choreographers of the 20th century. Robbins was first known for his skilful use of contemporary American themes in ballets and Broadway and Hollywood musicals. He won acclaim for highly innovative ballets structured within the traditional framework of classical dance movements.

·        He studied a range of dance styles including ballet, modern, Spanish, oriental and interpretive. Oriental meant it was a bit like belly dancing and interpretive which was a form of modern dance in which the dancer's movements depict an emotion or tell a story.

·        On July 29th, 1998, Jerome Robbins died of a stroke in his home in New York City.

·        As a child he studied the piano and violin as well as dance.

·        In 1942 he choreographed his first ballet, Fancy Free , which recounts the adventures of three young sailors on leave. His style combined more popular dance styles with classical ballet in a way that was new at the time.

·        Some of his shows that he has choreographed: On the Town, Peter Pan, The King and I, West Side Story, and Fiddler on the Roof.

·        Jerome Robbins helped change the face of modern dance with his breathtaking ballets and spectacular stage productions.

·        Jerome Robbins dropped out of college to study dance full-time, and he became a professional hoofer in 1937. After working three years in various Broadway chorus lines, Robbins joined the newly formed Ballet Theatre (later known as the American Ballet Theatre); at that time, he was strictly a background dancer and only occasionally obtained small roles in classical ballet. A hoofer is a professional dancer, especially a tap dancer.