(You are to watch the Broadway musical “West Side Story” which has been made into a movie and the ballet Romeo and Juliet by Serge Prokofiev. Watch the entire movies, not just clips. They are enjoyable shows, however, you are only required to write about one aspect of each movie, and that aspect is not a plot summary. So it would be helpful if you did your research first, then watched the movie.)

RESEARCH ON THE WEB – ESSAY: In your essay, connect West Side Story, modern (as in active today) gang focused music and Romeo and Juliet. Additionally, reflect on the use of music in West Side Story, the ballet Romeo & Juliet, and modern gangs.

This essay has three threads:

1) The Broadway musical West Side Story;

2) Modern gang focused music (the music that modern gangs listen to like hip-hop and rap);

3) Romeo & Juliet, the famous Shakespeare play and the ballet setting by Prokofiev of that play.

Each thread deals with the music of gangs and how that music defines and describes their actions. Unfortunately, we don’t know what the original music (if any) for Romeo & Juliet sounded like, so we can only discuss the modern ballet music to R&J, and how that play is connected to the other two threads. However, WSS, the ballet R&J, and modern gangs have strong music connections, so those connections must be included.