Educational Media Reviews Online

This film represents an updated take on the classic Jerome Robbins choreographic sensation from 1958. In its time NY Export: Opus Jazz was an important cultural contribution (the production toured abroad and was featured on The Ed Sullivan Show) and successfully blended elements of jazz, ballet, and ballroom dance with American vernacular movement lifted from the youth of New York City.

In this retelling, polished film production meets a new generation of passionate dancers while remaining true to Robbins’ original themes of youthfulness, individuality, self-expression, and joy in movement. After setting the scene with images of youths in dilapidated city landscapes, the audience follows them to an abandoned, open-air public pool. The jazz orchestra starts, fingers snap, and the dancers are off, driven as much by the rhythm of the city surroundings as one another. Ensembles take shape at night in dusty, abandoned warehouses, at sunset on grassy, overgrown railway tracks, at a school gymnasium, and an auditorium with colorful, yet simple backdrop. Costumes are the varied shorts, t-shirts, tank tops, jeans, and sneakers of the modern teenager.

The movement tells enough of a literal story to hold the attention of viewers unfamiliar with more abstract modern dance, and current-day visual cues acknowledge a contemporary audience. Cell phones and skateboards make an appearance or two, along with enough suggestive glancing, rolling eyes, and youthful self-consciousness to frame the work as an expression of yearnings of young adulthood.

Following the film, viewers will find a montage of interviews with the film directors and producers, archival images and video footage from the television appearance, anecdotes about Jerome Robbins, and insights into the lives of dancers in current-day New York City from the performers themselves. Hearing these young performers speak reverently about the impact of Robbins’ choreography on their work reinforces the importance of his role in shaping American ballet. Perhaps most interesting are reflections from several of the dancers about the way in which Robbins’ approach represented a departure from the norms of choreography in the 1950s. It allowed each dancer to feel and express their individuality instead of merely occupying an interchangeable role. Sondra Lee, original cast member of Opus Jazz, musing on the power of this form of expression, glowingly remarks: “When the body yearns to really speak and you find someone who can give you the language, give you the subjects, give you the heart, give you the soul... how lucky!” Dancers, dance enthusiasts, and general audiences alike will find much to enjoy in this film.

Awards

Audience Award Winner-South by Southwest Film Festival 2010