Jerome Robbins was an American theater producer and dance choreographer best known for his work in Broadway Theater and ballet/dance. Jerome Robbins is valued as one of the most important artists of the 20th Century. At a time when many people doubted that ballet could ever be an American art, Robbins made it one: his choreography encompassed contemporary neuroses, street style, urban cool and pretension-puncturing comedy. endstream endobj startxref #100daysofRobbins #day13. The Cage is set to Igor Stravinskys Concerto in D for String Orchestra. Jerry was a coach like no other. He came down hard on artificiality and dancers who played to the audience. As he started to leave, I called him back and asked for another chance. One sensed his tolerance was as thin as spring ice. Robbins won the Antoinette Perry (Tony) Award for best choreographer in 1948 for High Button Shoes. 844 0 obj <>/Filter/FlateDecode/ID[<5DDC38BF4080E742ABDBCCEDC925291E>]/Index[838 16]/Info 837 0 R/Length 52/Prev 435984/Root 839 0 R/Size 854/Type/XRef/W[1 2 1]>>stream The new production of Wagner's opera opened February 26. Sometimes, it is hard to understand how they connect. Robbins is world renowned as a successful choreographer and director in not only the musical theatre world . "Why can't we dance about American subjects? Later that year Robbins and Bernstein, in collaboration with the lyricists Betty Comden and Adolph Green, expanded Fancy Free into a successful Broadway musical called On the Town. Lester Horton, (born January 23, 1906, Indianapolis, Indiana, U.S.died November 2, 1953, Los Angeles, California), dancer and choreographer credited with launching the modern dance movement in Los Angeles and for establishing the country's first racially integrated dance company. Robbins received two Academy Awards (for the film West Side Story), four Tony Awards, two Emmy Awards, the Screen Directors Guild Award, the New York Drama Critics Circle Award, and the National Medal of the Arts. Q & A with Producer/Director Judy Kinberg. Many would say that it was their innovative approach to choreography in musical theatre that . Created on PowerPoint so therefore can be edited easily to provide the best resource for your students. The second features chamber music masterpieces, including the composer's well-known String Quartet performed by Quartet Integra. Brandenburg. The Four Seasons, I accidentally kicked my partner in the foot and caused a sprain. After a year of college, he found dance and theater through his sister and a summer arts camp, and he began to perform and to choreograph. In 1984, with the help of original cast member Wilma Curley, Jerry revived Blend of musical theatre and ballet. He couldnt connect the dots to his own behavior minutes ago. He demonstrated with articulation that defied age. February 28, 2023, By In making Fancy Free, for example, he had absorbed Paul Cadmus raunchy paintings of sailors and their girlfriendspaintings with such names as Follow the Fleet and Shore Leave. hXmoF+1QbW'$ .BB.62C 33>6\F7$!R5"\DFx(@/D@$:@;E4pD8og'!Qypp I had seen the premiere with Mikhail Baryshnikov and Patricia McBride not long after my debut as Cupid in Mother Goose. Mambas, cha-chas, and jazz contractions. You have remained in right site to begin getting this info. He continued to further his training/studies of Bharatanatyam under Uday Shankar, a master in his field. Remember, youre an Indian scout moving through the forest trying not to make a sound. As he said this, he demonstrated his words perfectly. He didnt say a word. Robbins was first known for his skillful use of contemporary American themes in ballets and Broadway and Hollywood musicals. In 1976, that was me. Jerome Wilson Rabinowitz was born in New York on October 11, 1918 and raised in Weehawken, New Jersey. New York City Ballet Celebrates Stravinsky and Balanchines Enduring Partnership This Spring, New York City Ballet Cancels Remaining Performances of, Choreographers Sidra Bell and Andrea Miller on Their Fall 2021 Premieres, How Sonya Yoncheva Is Bringing Her Experience as a Mother to, Lea Michele to Make Carnegie Hall Debut; Patti LuPone, Norm Lewis, More Will Return. The simple story concerned three American sailors on a 24-hour shore leave in New York City and their search for female companionship. Every day for a week, we worked together. It was also to be Robbins last but he continued to push the limits of his art, exploring experimental theatre with the American Theatre Lab in the late 1960s, and returning triumphantly and joyously to ballet with works like Les Noces, Dances at a Gathering, Goldberg Variations, Glass Pieces, and many others. Where was Michael Bennet from? Carol Lawrence, Jerome Robbins, Larry Kert, and the cast in rehearsal for the stage production West Side Story (1957) by Friedman-Abeles The New York Public Library for the Performing Arts. It was quickly turned into a big Broadway musical, On the Town, and then an even bigger Hollywood film, starring Gene Kelly and Frank Sinatra. Corrections? A detailed timeline of the events, works and influences of Jerome Robbins. I also briefly considered correcting him on my name, but thought better of that, too. Though I was working with Jerry frequently at this point, Prodigal was the first major role he coached me in. There he won audiences with his performances in Balanchines Prodigal Son, Tyl Ulenspiegel and other ballets, and with the innovative, character-based choreography of such works as The Guests, Age of Anxiety, and The Cage. Jerome Robbins directs dancers in rehearsal for the stage production West Side Story (1957) by Martha Swope The New York Public Library for the Performing Arts Robbins combined ballet,. These notes about the ballet "Somewhere" also show how much dance helped create another world for Maria and Tony--this time one far removed from the "horrors of the cage of the city. What time did he wake up? 853 0 obj <>stream An Egg McMuffin. Hearing the words come out of my mouth deepened my regret, but I spoke the truth. The idea for West Side Story first came from choreographer Jerome Robbins, who in 1948 had an idea to modernize Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet using warring Jewish and Catholic street gangs as . Jerome Wilson Rabinowitz was born in Manhattan on October 11, 1918. He worked on a string of hits, many of which became films: The King and I, The Pajama Game, Gypsy, Fiddler On the Roof and, most famous of all, West Side Story. He fought his way through . He agonized over the demise of others, like his muse, Tanaquil Le Clercq, and the many dear friends who died during the AIDS epidemic. Influence: Jack Cole, Diamonds Are a Girls Best Friend from Gentlemen Prefer Blondes. William Berger He directed some straight theatre and quit ballet in 1966, establishing the small-scale and short-lived American Theatre Lab to explore experimental drama. Deprived of a college education by the Depression, he. Deprived of a college education by the Depression, he began his career as a dancer in the experimental troupe of Gluck Sandor. Jerome Wilson Rabinowitz was born in Manhattan on October 11, 1918. Just as he wanted dancers onstage to be versions of themselves, he wanted everything he made to be distinctive. Robbins continued to write ballets for NYCB, including Dances at a Gathering (1969); The Goldberg Variations (1971); Requiem Canticles (1972); In G Major (1975); Glass Pieces, performed to the music of Phillip Glass (1983); In Memory of (1985); Ives, Songs (1988); and West Side Story Suite (1995). Couples mimic the movements of Tony and Maria in the background, enhancing the completeness of the world they are creating together. On the Town and West Side Story made him the king of Broadway, but Jerome Robbins was a man beset with anxieties, writes Sanjoy Roy, Original reporting and incisive analysis, direct from the Guardian every morning, On the Town by ENO in 2007. Let us know if you have suggestions to improve this article (requires login). Jerome Robbins in rehearsal for the stage production West Side Story (1957) by Friedman-Abeles The New York Public Library for the Performing Arts. (HUAC). Bob Fosse. "Anna Kisselgoff, New York Times, 1998, "Robbins sought to turn the humble musical comedy into something approaching a totally unified work of art. Notes Mikhail Baryshnikov, For Jerry, every achievement was torturous. But despite a bicycle accident in the 1990s and open-heart surgery in 1995, Robbins kept making dance. Report this resourceto let us know if it violates our terms and conditions. For his version of Wagner opera at the Metropolitan Opera, director Franois Girard went for a cosmic, fantastical setting. He worked with and choreographed for the company until 1989, when he resigned from his position of co-ballet master in chief. Robbins programs, tributes and festivals are taking place in Pittsburgh, San Francisco, Chicago, Seattle, Miami, Paris and New York City. | Deprived of a college education by the Depression, he began his career as a dancer in the experimental troupe of Gluck Sandor. Tomorrow you rehearse with Mr. Robbins.. But watching the hour-long ballet, you sense daylight, the outdoors, and friends celebrating together to the array of Chopin mazurkas, etudes, and waltzes. The success of West Side Story was followed by a string of Broadway hits. Copyright 1991-2023 Playbill Inc. All Rights Reserved. I was slated to play Cupid in Jerome Robbins compilation of fairy tales called At the "Dance at the Gym," Tony and Maria see each other--and stand still. Wendy Whelan and I worked for almost two years on his final ballet, In the early 1940s, when young Jerome Robbins was a dancer in a newly founded company, Ballet Theatre, he already had ambitions to be a choreographer, and he finally presented a scenario that. Copyright: The Robbins Rights Trust Jerome Wilson Rabinowitz was born in New York on October 11, 1918 and raised in Weehawken, New Jersey. | Born Jerome Rabinowitz in 1918, he grew up in New Jersey and studied a range of dance styles including ballet, modern, Spanish, oriental and interpretive. In 1957, when dance rehearsals began for West Side Story, Robbins was a well-known choreographer for Broadway and ballet. In the early 1940s, when young Jerome Robbins was a dancer in a newly founded company, Ballet Theatre, he already had ambitions to be a choreographer, and he finally presented a scenario that appealed to the management. Theres no story; Robbins felt strongly about that. (Jerry was NYCBs first Prodigal in 1950, having learned the role from Balanchine himself.). The Jets and Sharks in West Side Story are not chorus boys. Theyre edgy, they hunker down into dancing or launch themselves into the air without denying that effort. His excessive demands during the rehearsal process frustrated and angered collaborators, creating tempestuous relationships. I think youre ready. The two stare, and then begin moving together, in sync but not touching. 2018 would have marked his 100th birthday, and much of the world is celebrating his tremendous influence. We were asked to remember versions A, B, C and D, with each letter having a numbered version as well: A1, A2, A3, B1, et cetera. 200. In 1940 he joined Ballet Theater (now American Ballet Theatre), where he soon began dancing such important roles as Petrouchka. March 2, 2023, By Its references to Giselle are contemporary and unnerving; in it, pointe shoes are wielded like stingers. | View Project. In 1965 Robbins resumed creating ballets with his acclaimed Les Noces. It would be unfair and incorrect to characterize Jerry purely as a taskmaster or a whip-cracker. Photograph: AP, Scottish Ballet perform Afternoon of a Faun in 2006. On Balanchine's death in 1983, Robbins was appointed artistic director of New York City Ballet. He worked with and choreographed for the company until 1989, when he resigned from his position of co-ballet master in chief. Agnes de Mille and Jerome Robbins worked in musical theatre in what is widely regarded to be the industry's Golden Era. The room was bristling with excitement and nervousness. How the Choreography of Jerome Robbins Shaped Ballet and Broadway. A version of this story appeared in the January 2018 issue of One of them, the late actress Madeleine Lee Gilford, says that as a result she and her husband, actor Jack Gilford, did not have any TV or film work and we managed mostly on unemployment insurance. Robbins himself never spoke of his testimony publicly; in his journal he wrote, Maybe I will never find a satisfying release from the guilt of it all.. He had the unique ability to become kid-like in the studio, giggling with others and often laughing robustly at his own jokes. Jerome Robbins was a perfectionist and a demanding taskmaster. This is when he began to create his first choreography. It caused a sensation (22 curtain calls on the first night) and catapulted Robbins and Bernstein to fame and fortune. Originally intended to fund dance and theatre projects, the foundation also provided financial support to projects combating the effects of the AIDS crisis. "He was really a Broadway man" or "He was a really a ballet man". It wasnt personal. The Rabinowitz family later moved to Weehawken, New Jersey, when Jerry's father and uncle opened the Comfort Corset Company. . Fearful for his career and of public exposure of his sexuality (Montgomery Clift was a former lover), Robbins then named eight other members. Jerome Robbins directs dancers in rehearsal for the stage production West Side Story (1957) by Martha Swope The New York Public Library for the Performing Arts Robbins combined ballet,. Here in "Cool," the Jets are coiled and tense, trying to find control in a chaotic world. Robbins knew that dance could best convey a primary conflict of West Side Story--the battle between gangs over turf. He's also worked with no music (Moves, 1959) and with almost no movement (Watermill, 1972). Mother Goose. Paws, kisses and a whole new mood. Bob Fosse is one of the most revered figures in the annals of jazz. He nurtured many and helped those he worked with find their best selves. If he did find release, it was in his work. But in terms of personal background and stylistic interest, Robbins had more in common with his contemporary Leonard Bernstein, with whom he worked several times. His Broadway shows include On the Town, Billion Dollar Baby, High Button Shoes, West Side Story, The King and I, Gypsy, Peter Pan, Miss Liberty, Call Me Madam, and Fiddler on the Roof. What time does your father wake up on most days and what time did he wake up today? George Balanchine was the choreographer Robbins most admired. ", Carol Lawrence and Larry Kert in death scene from the stage production West Side Story (1957) by Martha Swope and Scenic Design by Oliver Smith, Rosaria Sinisi The New York Public Library for the Performing Arts. Jerry determined at a young age that the "confines" of his family's business were too much for him. I initially learned the work from ballet master Bart Cook. This resource is useful for teaching the American Jazz Dance strand of A Level Dance. Later, during a difficult rehearsal of the Spring section of 200. . The Concert. Omissions? He worked with the greatest artists and collaborators and alongside his idol, George Balanchine. His style became increasingly abstract and classical, perhaps under the influence of his great idol George Balanchine, who headed the company. As he doubted and changed course time and time again, we sensed his lack of confidence in his own craft, unsure of his final act. In the savage little ballet, Nora Kaye played the novice in an all-female insect community, who must prove that she can mate with a male and then kill him. Instead, Edward Villella stood alone onstage, his back to the audience, and began to dance almost tentatively to the Chopin piano piece being played. Tragedy awaits. In his later years, the legs did less but the eyes did more. It revealed ideas that were to shape Robbins work, both in ballet and on Broadway. So what did you have for breakfast this morning? he asked. Fun Facts He also ensured that all the primary actors could move well, with Chita Rivera (pictured here in the front, right) outshining them all. He granted us license to read the environment, suggesting each performance might allow for longer or shorter pauses. hb```:VI aBEB8$@$ |,A:U'q+ UoD3-`[_iFF;Z0 ^ He also incorporated a smooth transition of weight transferring from the body to the toe and focused more on isolations, syncopations, and abrupt changes in direction. Fancy Free, a story of sailors on shore leave, melded jazz, popular and classical styles. Chita Rivera, Carol Lawrence, Jerome Robbins, and Larry Kert in rehearsal for the stage production West Side Story (1957) by Friedman-Abeles The New York Public Library for the Performing Arts. %%EOF I remember many words, many moments, his belief in my ability and even his understanding of my misses. There he came under the tutelage of choreographers Mikhail Fokine, Anthony Tudor, and Agnes de Mille, and attracted attention in a number of roles, most notably as Fokines Petrouchka. Even a 10-year-old can sense true benevolence and feigned benevolence. A decade after my debut as Cupid, I was an NYCB corps member cast in the title role of Balanchines He can be serious and symbolic (Les Noces, 1965), but also comic (The Concert is a send-up that surely inspired the Trocks). Bob Fosse and Susan Stroman are big-name Broadway choreographers who admired Robbins. Jerome Robbins is world renowned for his work as a choreographer of ballets as well as his work as a director and choreographer in theater, movies and television. To be, unmistakably, itself. Robbins was first known for his skillful use of contemporary American themes in ballets and Broadway and Hollywood musicals. He was a resident choreographer and a ballet master there until 1983, when he and Peter Martins became ballet masters in chief (codirectors) of the company shortly before Balanchines death. . From the ballet world, Christopher Wheeldon is a fan. What was the name of the song at the beginning of the 1964 Broadway hit that showed Jerome was an advocate of telling at the top of its show what it's about to see? 215 0 obj <>/Filter/FlateDecode/ID[<2EC6FDBDB8198B439E063CFE7ED01FAF>]/Index[195 45]/Info 194 0 R/Length 93/Prev 50252/Root 196 0 R/Size 240/Type/XRef/W[1 2 1]>>stream Over the first half of his career, Robbins attacked each new idea as something to be researchedreading, listening to music, viewing art works. His influence on all aspects of technique, choreographic style, music, costume, lighting and stage design has been far-reaching. Moves, an experimental work originally created for Jerome Robbins Ballets: U.S.A. in 1959. Jerry pushed me harder in Opus than in any other ballet. Robbins combined ballet, jazz, and pedestrian movements to create dance that conveyed the restless, dynamic energy of youth. Such desires influenced his choreographic style and the movements he chose. He was, however, tortured by doubts and insecurities. Why cant we talk about the way we dance today, and how we are? Recruiting an unknown young American composer named Leonard Bernstein to write a score, he concocted Fancy Free, a jazz-inflected ballet about three sailors on shore leave that received 22 curtain calls at its premiere on April 22, 1944. The same programme is at Sadler's Wells in London, 1-5 December. His late works are more abstract; his early ones more story- or character-led. Robbins resigned as codirector of NYCB in 1990, though he continued to choreograph for the company. Please refer to the appropriate style manual or other sources if you have any questions. To ensure quality for our reviews, only customers who have purchased this resource can review it. He created such ballets as Interplay (1945) and Facsimile (1946). get the Broadway The Golden Years Jerome Robbins And The connect that we give here and check out the link. hbbd``b`9$;A l"&/LW,F? How many times had he seen those gags and yet fresh, spontaneous laughter erupted from him as if it was a first telling. George Balanchine cast him in the chorus of a pair of Broadway shows, and soon after, he got into Ballet Theatre (later American Ballet Theatre). He died of a stroke in 1998. Jerome Robbins Foundation on Instagram: Jerome Robbins and Annabelle Lyon in Summer Day in 1947. Madonna paid tribute to the original Marilyn Monroe number in her Material Girl video choreographed in 1985 by Kenny Ortega. Wagner had a profound influence on [Debussy . His standard was so very high and we were part of achieving that standard. Mr. Cole describes his passion for dance by drawing from other cultures. 300. He was not concerned with the myth of America but with its reality. Known for distinct style with the use of rounding the shoulders, the use of the pelvis, isolation of the arms, and jazz hands. By The New York Public Library for the Performing Arts. At the same time, he continued in ballet, first with Ballet Theatre and, from 1948, with New York City Ballet. In many musicals, he integrated dance seamlessly with character, story and music. We always kept a supply on hand during rehearsals and when things got rough, the studio door was opened just enough to let a tail-wagging foil bound into the rehearsal room. In 1969, when he stopped choreographing and/or directing musicals and taking on other theater projects in order to commit himself to Lincoln Kirstein and George Balanchines New York City Ballet, he chose to begin his great Dances at a Gathering without a typical ensemble opener. h I thought, Why cant we dance about American subjects? he said later. The audience must believe that Tony and Maria fall in love immediately and completely--or the rest of the show fails. Deprived of a college education by the Depression, he began his career as a dancer in the experimental troupe of Gluck Sandor. Okay, Paul, good. Though patience was tested, I found his process hugely rewarding. After performing in several musicals, he joined Ballet Theatre (now American Ballet Theatre) in 1940, where he made his first piece at the age of 25, with a score by the equally young and unknown Leonard Bernstein. 30 films. Jerry had the latter. No one really called Jerry back and told him to sit down, but I saw an essential if not career-defining opportunity about to disappear forever. He listened to recordings intently, over and over, and let them ignite images of a ballets atmosphere and those who peopled it. Updates? 300. He continued to pepper me with questions about the rumors my friends and I had heard about the Siren who lived in the land beyond, and, in the end, he reminded me never to walk into the studio again without having done my research for a role. He has often matched movement closely to music, such as the piano pieces Dances at a Gathering or In the Night. But unlike others who created ballets with pioneers and cowboys, Mr Robbins did not indulge in 'Americana'. Uptown ballrooms, such as the Ritz, were also important outlets. General Info: 409.880.7011 4400 MLK Blvd., PO Box 10009, Beaumont, Texas 77710. This article was most recently revised and updated by, https://www.britannica.com/biography/Jerome-Robbins, Public Broadcasting Service - Biography of Jerome Robbins, Official Site of the Jerome Robbins Trust and Foundation, American Ballet Theatre - Biography of Jerome Robbins, Jerome Robbins - Student Encyclopedia (Ages 11 and up). Prodigal Son. Wit could leaven a section, as when shivering women brace themselves against the blasts of male winds in the Winter section of The Four Seasons. In 1964 he directed and choreographed Fiddler on the Roof, which became the longest running musical of its time. Urban energy: a scene from West Side Story at the Tony awards in 1989, Musical comedy in ballet, not on Broadway: The Concert (Paris Opera Ballet), Excerpts from Glass Pieces, with dancers' commentary (New York City Ballet), The strange, stylised erotics of Afternoon of a Faun: Jacques d'Amboise and Tanaquil LeClercq from the New York City Ballet in 1955. This resource is useful for teaching the American Jazz Dance strand of A Level Dance. In 1962 he directed the American premiere of Arthur Kopit's mordant mother-son comedy, Oh, Dad, Poor Dad, Mama's Hung You In the Closet and I'm Feelin' So Sad and in 1963 a production of Brecht's Mother Courage and Her Children starring Anne Bancroft. Bach), Glass Pieces (Philip Glass), and The Four Seasons (Giuseppe Verdi), he found ways to make formal patterning suggest a society following its rules. TUCSON . Robbins made it in 1951 (the same year that The King and I, with his choreography, opened on Broadway). Jerome Robbins's Notes for the Somewhere ballet. 0 To make dance central, Robbins demanded 8 weeks of rehearsal rather than the typical 4. "Terry Teachout, New York Times, 2001, "There are two choreographers inside Jerome Robbins: the breezy Broadway showman, and the introverted artist drawn to dark spaces and dark moods. The music relied relatively more on composition and arrangement than on the individually improvised playing of other jazz . 8 In honor of Robbins centenary, here are a few things you should know about the legend. On our first day, Jerry asked me to make my entrance. Carefully coaching Carol Lawrence (Maria) and Larry Kert (Tony), Robbins staged a dreamy waltz. These innovative works display his gift for capturing the essence of a particular era through his mastery of vernacular dance styles and his understanding of gesture. Jerry determined at a young age that the confines of his familys business were too much for him. In 1948, he reconnected with Balanchine, who had just founded the New York City Ballet with Lincoln Kirstein. Two years later, in creating Afternoon of a Faun, he set his imprint on Claude Dbussys Prelude laprs midi dun faun, which accompanied Vaslav Nijinskys 1912 work for Serge Diaghilevs Ballets Russes. Jerome Robbins was caught between the moon and New York City. St Pauls Place, Norfolk Street, Sheffield, S1 2JE. While every effort has been made to follow citation style rules, there may be some discrepancies. 1940's-70's Jerome Robbins Jerome : Robbins' style of jazz dance combined with classical ballet, contemporary dance, vernacular dances/ dances from other culture s and everyday . He constantly questioned his work, doubting its merit and revising frequently. Jerome Robbins Broadway, a compilation of excerpts from 11 Broadway musicals that Robbins had directed or choreographed, opened on Broadway in 1989. The costumes and props are the same in both numbers. The Rabinowitz family later moved to Weehawken, New Jersey, when Jerrys father and uncle opened the Comfort Corset Company. The ire seemed to envelop and fuel him without any realization that a line was about to be crossed. The character. He continued to make award-winning dances for Broadway as well, and with The King & I earned his first ticket to Hollywood. What three combinations of styles did Fred Astaire perform? endstream endobj startxref Jerry would reiterate the length of each silence, encouraging us to find a duration that would make the audience and even fellow cast members uncomfortable. | Tommy hovered nervously, nodding constantly. This is so much better than having to continue that rehearsal., Balanchine and Robbins working on 1972s Pulcinella at NYCB. My stories with Jerry took place during the last 22 years of his life. No matter how abstract the work, you always sense an undertow of character and feeling in Robbins's work. Jerome Robbins: Robbins was an American choreographer known for his work on many successful Broadway productions, including "West Side Story," "Fiddler on the Roof," and "On the Town." He incorporated elements of ballet and jazz into his choreography and was known for his innovative use of dance to advance the plot and character development in . The show ends with no song and no dance, only a spoken judgment from Maria and a funeral march as the Jets and Sharks carry Tony's body from the stage. It wasnt long before he was bounding from one hit to another, creating artistic successes and box-office gold up and down Broadway. Fiddler on the Roof. His Broadway career is well represented by West Side Story (1957), a musical that transplants the tragic story of Romeo and Juliet to the gritty milieu of rival street gangs in New York City. Carol Lawrence rehearsing dance scene with unidentified actor for the stage production West Side Story (1957) by Martha Swope and Scenic Design by Oliver Smith, Rosaria Sinisi The New York Public Library for the Performing Arts. However, when he returned to the New York City Ballet as a ballet master in 1969, he was hungry to make only ballets, and for almost all of those that he choreographed between Dances at a Gathering and his last ballet, Brandenburg (1997), music became his principal generating source, as it was Balanchines.