Saturday Evening Film: "Something To Dance About"—Documentary About Jerome Robbins.
Was His Abuse Of His Dancers Necessary?
I was happy when the musical theater part was over—about 1/3 of the way in—and it became more and more about relationships. And ballet.
When Balanchine finally lets him have it, it comes as a great relief.
(I seem to be studying ill-tempered, talented gay Jewish men in the arts in New York after WW2.)
They fascinate me.
There is a very large school of thought that says for great artistry to be achieved screws must be tightened and aspiring artists and performers must run a gauntlet of fire under their teachers and mentors. Some years ago I was a psychiatric consultant to a world-famous music conservatory, and I saw the effects of this approach: uniformly destructive. So, in answer to your question, I give a resounding 'no'.
Thank you Celia for tonight's movie. Everything about dance, the performing arts fascinates me. About an hour into the video, West Side Story is covered. This one line regarding Leonard Bernstein--"Lenny Bernstein was afraid of two things, God and Jerry Robbins".