description Dybbuk (Robbins) Overview
George Balanchine’s *Dybbuk* (1973) is a large-scale neoclassical ballet set in 17th-century Poland, depicting the passionate and obsessive love story between Jacob and Lilah, fueled by a malevolent spirit inhabiting Lilah.
help Dybbuk (Robbins) FAQ
Who choreographed Dybbuk, and who composed its score?
Jerome Robbins choreographed Dybbuk to an original score by Leonard Bernstein. New York City Ballet premiered the work in 1974, three decades after the pair first collaborated on Fancy Free.
What story inspired Robbins's Dybbuk?
The source is S. Ansky's Yiddish play about Khonnon and Leah, whose fathers had promised them to each other before birth. After Leah is given to another man and Khonnon dies, his wandering spirit possesses her.
What is a dybbuk in the ballet?
In Jewish folklore, a dybbuk is a restless soul that enters and speaks through a living person. Robbins treats the possession story abstractly, while Bernstein's score draws on Hebrew texts, Jewish musical associations, and Kabbalistic numerology.
Is Dybbuk connected to West Side Story?
It reunites choreographer Jerome Robbins and composer Leonard Bernstein, two of the principal creators of West Side Story. Dybbuk is nevertheless a darker concert ballet rooted in S. Ansky's drama rather than a Broadway musical.
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