#TBT: We're Obsessed With These Original West Side Story Gifs
Prepare for the ultimate #ThrowbackThursday treat. The New York Public Library—which holds countless images capturing moments of dance history—recently digitized over one thousand previously-unseen shots documenting the original 1957 Broadway production of West Side Story. Curator Doug Reside had the brilliant idea to string together sequential images from a negative strip, and the resulting gifs feel like stepping into a time machine.
Carol Lawrence and Larry Kert (the original Maria and Tony) in promotional photographs by Friedman-Abeles/(c) The New York Public Library
Fight rehearsal. Photos by Friedman-Abeles/(c) The New York Public Library
Jerome Robbins prepares for dance rehearsal. Photos by Friedman-Abeles/(c) The New York Public Library
Dance rehearsal. Photos by Friedman-Abeles/(c) The New York Public Library
“Dance at the Gym” rehearsal. Photos by Friedman-Abeles/(c) The New York Public Library
“America” rehearsal. Photos by Friedman-Abeles/(c) The New York Public Library
Robbins directs Larry Kert and Carol Lawrence in the death scene. Photos by Friedman-Abeles/(c) The New York Public Library
