Jerome Robbins and Arthur Laurents
The second major chapter for the book musical and its development was West Side Story (1957). As in Oklahoma!, dance was an integral part of the production. West Side Story transported the story of Romeo and Juliet to modern-day New York City and converted the feuding Montague and Capulet families into opposing ethnic gangs: the Sharks and the Jets. For fights, dance became the primary mode of expression; for big emotional moments, it was song. When the adults came onstage, their inability to communicate with the younger generation manifested itself in a reversion back to dialogue. The director and choreographer, Jerome Robbins, can be credited with pushing Theater dance many steps forward. Leaving ballet behind almost completely, he turned to the characters themselves to find the right physical vocabulary for the show; in the case of West Side Story, it was the teenage slouch and the pack-like movement of street gangs.
The second major chapter for the book musical and its development was West Side Story (1957). As in Oklahoma!, dance was an integral part of the production. West Side Story transported the story of Romeo and Juliet to modern-day New York City and converted the feuding Montague and Capulet families into opposing ethnic gangs: the Sharks and the Jets. For fights, dance became the primary mode of expression; for big emotional moments, it was song. When the adults came onstage, their inability to communicate with the younger generation manifested itself in a reversion back to dialogue. The director and choreographer, Jerome Robbins, can be credited with pushing Theater dance many steps forward. Leaving ballet behind almost completely, he turned to the characters themselves to find the right physical vocabulary for the show; in the case of West Side Story, it was the teenage slouch and the pack-like movement of street gangs.
