Jerome Robbins Biography (1918-)

Born Jerome Rabinowitz, October 11, 1918, in New York, NY; son of Harry (a corset manufacturer) and Lena (Rips) Rabinowitz. Addresses: Contact: c\oDirectors Guild of America--East, 110 West 57th St., New York, NY 10019.

Nationality: American
Gender: Male
Occupation: director, choreographer, producer, writer, dancer
Birth Details: October 11, 1918; New York, New York, United States

Famous Works

Credits; Stage Work; Choreographer, Except As Noted
Fancy Free (also see below), Ballet Theatre, Metropolitan Opera House, 1944.
(And creator) On the Town (based on Fancy Free), Adelphi Theatre, New York City, 1944.
Creator, "Interplay," Concert Varieties (also see below), ZiegfeldTheatre, New York City, 1945.
Billion Dollar Baby, Alvin Theatre, New York City, 1945.
Pas de Trois, Original Ballet Russe, Metropolitan Opera House, 1947.
High Button Shoes, Century Theatre, New York City, 1947.
Summer Day (also see below), Ballet Theatre, City Center Theatre,New York City, 1947.
(And creator) Facsimile (also see below), Ballet Theatre, BroadwayTheatre, New York City, 1947.
(And director with George Abbott) Look Ma, I'm Dancin' (also see below), Adelphi Theatre, 1948.
Director, That's the Ticket, Shubert Theatre, Philadelphia, PA, 1948.
The Guests, New York City Ballet, City Center Theatre, 1949.
Miss Liberty, Imperial Theatre, New York City, 1949.
The Age of Anxiety (also see below), City Center Theatre, 1950.
(With George Balanchine) Jones Beach, City Center Theatre, 1950.
(And director) Call Me Madam, Imperial Theatre, 1950.
The King and I, St. James Theatre, New York City, 1951.
Creator, The Small House of Uncle Thomas, St. James Theatre, 1951.
The Cage, New York City Ballet Company, City Center Theatre, 1951.
The Pied Piper (also see below), City Center Theatre, 1951.
Two's Company, Alvin Theatre, c. 1952.
Wonderful Town, New York City Ballet Company, Winter Garden Theatre, New York City, 1953.
Afternoon of a Faun, City Center Theatre, 1953.
Fanfare, City Center Theatre, 1953, then restaged for Royal DanishBallet, 1956.
Quartet, City Center Theatre, 1954.
Co-director (with Abbott), The Pajama Game, St. James Theatre, 1954.
(And director) Peter Pan (also see below), Winter Garden Theatre,1954.
The Tender Land, New York City Opera Company, City Center Theatre,1954.
Director, and arranger of choreography (with Bob Fosse), The Bells AreRinging, Shubert Theatre, New York City, 1956.
(And creator and director) West Side Story, Winter Garden Theatre,1957, then Her Majesty's Theatre, London, 1958.
(And director) Gypsy, Broadway Theatre, 1959.
Director, Oh Dad, Poor Dad, Mama's Hung You in the Closet and I'm Feelin' So Sad, Phoenix Theatre, New York City, 1962.
Co-producer (with Cheryl Crawford), and director, Mother Courage and Her Children, Martin Beck Theatre, New York City, 1963.
(And director) Fiddler on the Roof, Imperial Theatre, 1964, laterLondon, 1967.
Production supervisor, West Side Story, Nissei Theatre, Tokyo, Japan, 1964.
Les Noces, American Ballet Theatre, New York City, 1965, later Royal Swedish Ballet, 1969.
Moves, Joffrey Ballet, New York City, 1967, then Batsheva Dance Company, 1969, later Nederlands Dans Theatre, Venice Festival, 1973.
Dances at a Gathering, New York City Ballet, 1969, then Royal Ballet, London, 1970.
In the Night, New York City Ballet, City Center Theatre, 1970, then Royal Ballet, 1973.
Firebird, City Center Theatre, 1970.
The Goldberg Variations, City Center Theatre, 1971.
Watermill, New York City Ballet, City Center Theatre, 1972.
Scherzo Fantastique, New York City Ballet, City Center Theatre, 1972.
Circus Polka, New York City Ballet, City Center Theatre, 1972, then Paris Opera, France, 1974.
Dunbarton Oaks, New York City Ballet, City Center Theatre, 1972.
(With Balanchine) Pulcinella, New York City Ballet, City Center Theatre, 1972.

Requiem Canticles, City Center Theatre, 1972, then Bayerischen Staadsper, Munich, Germany, 1974.
Interplay, Joffrey Ballet, New York City, 1972.
An Evening's Waltzes, New York City Ballet, City Center Theatre, 1973.
Four Bagatelles, City Center Theatre, 1973.
Celebration: The Art of the Pas de Deux, Spoleto Festival, Italy,1973.
Concert for the Royal Ballet, Covent Garden, London, 1975.
In G Major, New York City Ballet Ravel Festival, 1975.
Introduction, New York City Ballet Ravel Festival, 1975.
Allegro for Harp, New York City Ballet Ravel Festival, 1975.
Mother Goose, New York City Ballet Ravel Festival, 1975.
Und Barque Sur L'Ocean, New York City Ballet Ravel Festival, 1975.
Chansons Madecasses, New York City Ballet Ravel Festival, 1975.
Other Dances, American Ballet Theatre, New York City, 1976.
The Four Seasons, New York City Ballet, City Center Theatre, 1979.
Opus 19, New York City Ballet, City Center Theatre, 1979.
West Side Story (revival), Minskoff Theatre, New York City, 1980.
Fiddler on the Roof (revival), New York State Theatre, New York City, 1981.
(And director) Jerome Robbins' Broadway (anthology; also see below), Imperial Theatre, 1989-90.
Festival of Jerome Robbins Ballets, New York City Ballet, New YorkState Theatre, c. 1990.
Also choreographer for The Concert, 1956; Events, 1961; The Dybbuk, 1974; (with Peter Martins and Jean-Pierre Bonnefous) Tricolore, 1978; The Dreamer, 1979; Suite of Dances, 1980; Rondo, 1981; Andantino, 1981; (with Balanchine and Taras) Piano Pieces, 1981; Allegro con Grazia, 1982; The Gershwin Concerto, 1982; Four Chamber Works, 1982; Glass Pieces, 1983; I'm Old Fashioned, 1983; Antique Epigraphs, 1984; (with Twyla Tharp) Brahms/Handel, 1984; Eight Lines, 1985; In Memory Of ...,1985; Quiet City, 1986; Piccolo Balleto, 1986; and Ives, Songs, 1988. Choreographer for N.Y. Export: Opus Jazz, for Ballets: USA, 1958, Harkness Ballet, 1969, and Joffrey Ballet, 1974. Also worked as production supervisor for Funny Girl, produced in New York City, 1964.
Has choreographed ballets in repertoires of Boston Ballet, National Ballet of Canada, Harkness Ballet, Australian Ballet, San Francisco Ballet, Pennsylvania Ballet, Dance Theatre of Harlem, La Scala Opera Ballet, Opernhaus Zurich, American Ballet Theatre, Joffrey Ballet, Royal Swedish Ballet, Batsheva Ballet, Royal Danish Ballet, Royal Ballet, London, and Paris Opera Ballet.
Credits; Stage Appearances
Dancer, Great Lady, Majestic Theatre, New York City, 1939.
Dancer, The Straw Hat Revue, Ambassador Theatre, New York City, 1939.
Dancer, Keep Off the Grass, Broadhurst Theatre, New York City, 1940.
Hermes, Helen of Troy, Ballet Theatre, Detroit, MI, 1942.
Moor, Petrouchka, Ballet Theatre, Metropolitan Opera House, New York City, 1944.
The youth, Three Virgins and a Devil, Ballet Theatre, MetropolitanOpera House, 1944.
Benvolio, Romeo and Juliet, Ballet Theatre, Metropolitan Opera House, c. 1944.
Sailor, Fancy Free, Ballet Theatre, Metropolitan Opera House, 1944.
"Interplay," Concert Varieties, Ziegfeld Theatre, New York City, 1945.
Summer Day, Ballet Theatre, City Center Theatre, New York City, 1947.
Facsimile, Ballet Theatre, Broadway Theatre, New York City, 1947.
Bouree Fantasque, City Center Theatre, 1949.
Title role, The Prodigal Son, City Center Theatre, 1950.
The Age of Anxiety, City Center Theatre, 1950.
The Pied Piper, City Center Theatre, 1951.
Ringmaster, Circus Polka, City Center Theatre, then Paris Opera, France, 1971.
George Abbott ... A Celebration, Shubert Theatre, New York City, 1976.
Made stage debut as dancer with Sandor-Sorel Dance Center, 1937.
Credits; Major Tours
Gypsy, European cities, 1959 and 1981.
Fiddler on the Roof, U.S. and European cities, 1964 and 1980.
Peter Pan, U.S. and European cities, 1981.
Jerome Robbins Chamber Dance Company, People's Republic of China,1981.
Also toured with Ballets: U.S.A. to Spoleto Festival of Two Worlds, Italy, then the Brussels World's Fair, Belgium, later U.S. cities, 1958; and for U.S. State Department, European cities, c. 1959 and 1961.
Credits; Television Work; Choreographer
(And director) Peter Pan, NBC, 1955, 1956, and 1960.
Live from Studio 8H: An Evening of Jerome Robbins' Ballets with Members of the New York City Ballet, NBC, 1980.
"Choreography by Jerome Robbins with the New York City Ballet," Dancein America (also see below), PBS, 1986.
"In Memory of ... A Ballet By Jerome Robbins," Great Performances(also see below), PBS, 1987.
The 43rd Annual Tony Awards (also see below), CBS, 1989.
Also director of Ford 50th Anniversary Show, 1953, and choreographer for Two Duets, 1980.
Credits; Television Appearances
"Choreography by Jerome Robbins with the New York City Ballet," Dancein America, PBS, 1986.
"Gian Carlo Menotti: The Musical Magician," Great Performances (documentary), PBS, 1986.
"In Memory of ... A Ballet By Jerome Robbins," Great Performances,PBS, 1987.
The 43rd Annual Tony Awards, CBS, 1989.
The Kennedy Center Honors: A Celebration of the Performing Arts, CBS, 1989.
The Kennedy Center Honors: A Celebration of the Performing Arts, CBS, 1990.
Also appeared in Art Is ..., 1974.
Credits; Film Work; Choreographer
The King and I, Twentieth Century-Fox, 1956.
(And co-director with Robert Wise), West Side Story, United Artists, 1961.
Credits; Stage
(Author of book) Look Ma, I'm Dancin', produced at Adelphi Theatre, New York City, 1948.
Credits; Books
Jerome Robbins Broadway, Hal Leonard Publishing Corp., 1990.

Further Reference

Periodicals

Dance, June, 1987, p. 136; April, 1989, p. 44; June, 1990, p. 98.
New Yorker, March 13, 1989, p. 76.
New York Times, September 11, 1988, p. S22; February 19, 1989, p.H1; February 27, 1989, pp. C13-14; November 6, 1989, pp. C13, C16; June 3, 1990.
Time, June 27, 1983, p. 65.

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