His elder sister was a dance instructor.
With her he experienced the 'Isadora
Duncan' Barefoot dancing style.
[Grounded, expressive, free movement].
Robbins died in 1998 ages 79,
and in tribute the lights of
Broadway were dimmed for a
moment on the night of his
death.
At the age of 18 he
attended the 'Gluck-Sandor
Dance Centre' and he
studied 'New Dance'.
Martha Graham's technique,
especially the use of the
Solar Plexis & Contractions,
is evident in 'Cool' - West
Side Story.
He also studied
Flamenco, which is
evident in West Side
Story in America &
The Dance at the
Gym.
Whilst there, he studied Cecchetti
Ballet and expressionist modern
dance.
In 1940 he joined the 'American
Ballet Theatre'
He became the principle
dancer there in 1943
He was very interested in
psychoanalysis and getting
characterisation from dancers.
This was evident in the stage
production of West Side Story
as he used Stanislavsky
methods to make the rival
between the gangs seem real.
E.G. Sharks and Jets were not
allowed to communicate
backstage!
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Because of this, he
joined the 'Actors Studio'
in 1947, which is the year
that it was founded.
In 1944 he choreographed his first successful
ballet, 'Fancy Free', which was about 3 sailers
who had come to New York on leave. This is how
he met composer Leonard Bernstein, who also
composed to score for West Side Story.
In 1949 he became the Associate Artistic
Director of the NYC Ballet!
In 1965 he gained support from the National
Endowment of the Arts, and so set up the
American Theatre Laboratory to study 'Total
Theatre', and a 'poetic' blend of dance, music and
acting.