1918–98, American choreographer and dancer, b. New York City. Robbins began his career dancing in musical comedy (1937). In 1940 he joined the Ballet Theatre and in 1948 became associate artistic director of the New York City Ballet. The first ballet he choreographed, Fancy Free (1944), was expanded into the musical On the Town. Robbins gained distinction as the exuberantly innovative choreographer of such Broadway musicals as High Button Shoes (1947) and The King and I (1951). Ultimately creating an evolved and organic kind of show that was more a work of art than a humble entertainment, he choreographed and directed the musicals Peter Pan (1954), West Side Story (1957), Gypsy (1959), and Fiddler on the Roof (1964). Meanwhile, during the 1940s and 50s he periodically returned to the New York City Ballet, where he created such works as Facsimile (1946), The Cage (1951), and The Concert (1956). Essentially leaving the musical comedy world after the enormous success of Fiddler, he returned to the City Ballet and in the following years choreographed such works as Dances at a Gathering (1969), probably his finest ballet; Goldberg Variations (1971); and Ives, Songs (1988). From 1983 to 1990 Robbins was the City Ballet's co–ballet master in chief with Peter Martins, and many of his 66 ballets continue to be performed by the company.

See biography by G. Lawrence (2001); C. Conrad, Jerome Robbins: That Broadway Man, That Ballet Man (2001); R. E. Long, Broadway, The Golden Years: Jerome Robbins and the Great Choreographer-Directors, 1940 to the Present (2001).

The Columbia Encyclopedia, Sixth Edition Copyright© 2004, Columbia University Press. Licensed from Lernout & Hauspie Speech Products N.V. All rights reserved.

-40662-