Jerome Robbins West Side Story Dance Analysis

West Side Story focuses on the battle between two gangs in New York City. Even though the two groups consist of different races, they both face the issue of being a group of outsiders. Within the Sharks, they create separation between the men and women of the group. The musical’s communities are reinforced through the ideas used for the musical’s creation and the various dance numbers

The idea of having two groups create a sense of community was present since the inception of the original Broadway musical. In Jerome Robbins: His Life, His Theater, His Dance by Deborah Jowitt, it is revealed that the two gangs were originally meant to be Jews versus Catholics (page 267). People often use religion to find people like them, so if the two gangs were two religions, it would have conveyed the same

This concept was later dropped, but Jerome Robbins continued the idea of the two gangs having a sense of community within themselves. Jerome Robbins would apply method acting by separating the two gangs even when a scene was not being filmed. By dividing the gangs between takes, he hoped to create stronger bonds the actors had with their fellow gang members. The real-life situations surrounding West Side Story strengthened the communities produced by the story.

While the dancing performed by the characters allowed for the gangs to seem more like a group who would do anything for their friends, women were usually set aside. In the film version, the song “America” is sung by the females associated with the Sharks. The women talk about their love for America while the men prefer Puerto Rico. The difference in ideals leads to a rift between the men and women. The song also brings to the light the lack of proper representation of the Puerto Ricans. The song is filled with stereotypes that portray the men as thieves and the women as stay-at-home moms that only care about cleaning.