What dance style is used in West Side Story?
Every single move in West Side Story reflected that reality. Ballet gave the choreography grace; jazz and genius gave it personality.
What is the intention of the prologue of West Side Story?
The prologue introduced the two rivalry gangs, The Jets (white Americans) and The Sharks (Puerto Ricans). Within the prologue the two rivalry gangs are seen teasing and fighting with each other, aiming to gain dominance and claim territory of the neighborhood streets.
What happened at the dance in West Side Story?
At the dance in the local gym, the group is divided: Jets and their girls on one side and Sharks and their girls on the othe. During the dance, Maria and Tony spot each other. There is an instant connection. Bernardo interrupts them, telling Tony to stay away from his sister and asking Chino to take her home.
Why was West Side Story important?
West Side Story was groundbreaking in 1957, in part because it put dance at the center of its storytelling and had operatic elements (including a tragic ending), but also for the issues it addressed: immigration, discrimination, evolving gender roles, urban neighborhoods in transition, disenfranchised youth, corrupt …
Does Maria dance in West Side Story?
At the dance, Maria is introduced to some of Bernardo’s other friends, but as they all begin dancing Maria spots Tony at the other end of the dance floor.
What is West Side Story based on?
Story Sources. It is widely known that West Side Story (WSS) is based directly on Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet (R&J). Far less well known is the fact that Shakespeare based his play (1594) on other material, particularly a narrative poem by Arthur Brooke entitled The Tragicall Historye of Romeus and Juliet (1562).
Where does the prologue of West Side Story take place?
The scenes between the Jets and the Sharks supposedly take place around one block surrounding the playground of a school, the “turf” often fought over. But the prologue was actually filmed in two locations and edited together.
Who was the choreographer of West Side Story?
Welcome to West Side Story, where the movement tells the tale. The choreographer-director emerged as an American theater specialty in the work of Jerome Robbins, his protégé Bob Fosse, and other dancer-dramatists who understood the powerful impact of dance on an audience.
How does dance drive the narrative in West Side Story?
Dance Drives the Narrative. In West Side Story, Robbins broke with musical theater traditions to portray the unglamorous world of urban gangs with all the gravitas of the classic narratives about the privileged class. Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet is the inspiration for the tragedy of Tony and Maria.
How does music stop in West Side Story?
-Posture is poised, sharp clicks in unison whilst step ball changing, hops and skips, down the alleyway. Music stops when their movement stops. Both the gangs, Jets and Sharks, have their first viewed meeting. Straight away we are aware of the initial tension between the two as their movements represent their conflict.