While Robbins was working in musical theater, he continued to create works for the concert stage and formed his own experimental ballet company called Ballet U.S.A. In 1969, Robbins left theater work and returned to the New York City Ballet after a ten-year leave of absence. It was a prolific period, and he created twenty-two new ballets in the 1970s alone, including many that are still in the company's repertory, such as The Goldberg Variations and Dances at a Gathering. After Balanchine died in 1983, Robbins continued for a while as artistic director with Peter Martins. Although Robbins officially retired in 1988, he choreographed a solo work in 1994 for Mikhail Baryshnikov called A Suite of Dances. "He would show me one of those combinations that are so his, and so beautiful," says Baryshnikov, "the twists of the shoulder, the open, relaxed steps gradually changing into smaller, more delicate movements."
Robbins's legacy, stresses Nichols, lies not just in the body of work he left behind, but in his contributions to the development of the dance world. "He was constantly working to create a tangible history for dance," says Nichols. Robbins used a percentage of the royalties made from Fiddler on the Roof to support the dance collection at the Library. He played an important role in the founding of the National Endowment for the Arts and set up organizations for dancers' security and health such as the New York City Ballet Emergency Fund. He promoted international dance groups and folk dance and encouraged young choreographers. Beyond all that, Robbins helped establish a new vocabulary for American dance. "He put a human face and a Yankee accent on classic choreography," wrote critic Clive Barnes for Dance Magazine in 1998. From an exuberant sailor to a stripper with a trumpet, from a New York gang member to a classical soloist, Robbins showcased the movement of Everyman. Robbins said, "The possibilities of the human body are endless. Why not use them all? Why limit ourselves to a set language which, in spite of its good qualities, is no longer fit to express the feelings and problems of today?"
Despite Robbins excelling musical theatre, he still kept at everythig else that he wanted to do. He managed to form his own ballet company, whilst carrying on as an artistic director; AND creating an "accent for classical choreography". He was a twin of MacMillan. Nothing was beyond his reach. In his perspective he saw a lot more than just dance. It was a lifestyle to him.
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