The Sharks (Royal Navy)

The "Sharks" were the Royal Navy's Helicopter Display Team from 1975 to 1992. They flew four red Westland Gazelle helicopters, with aircraft and pilots drawn from 705 Naval Air Squadron based at RNAS Culdrose, Cornwall.

History

The "Sharks" were established in 1975 and were unusual in that the team's personnel and crews were changed every year. The pilots were all instructors from 705 NAS, which at the time was the squadron responsible for the basic training of Royal Navy helicopter pilots. Their involvement with the "Sharks" was purely voluntary, and all the activities involved with the team - the pre-season rehearsals, transits to and from display venues, and the display flying itself - were in addition to their normal weekday duties instructing student pilots on the Westland Gazelle.

The "Sharks" display routine was renowned for mixing together a range of different manoeuvres, comprising close formation, synchronised, opposition and solo flying. The display typically lasted for 10-12 minutes, and was highlighted by the use of distinctive mix of red and green smoke.

The Sharks

The Sharks are a new wave band founded in Lancaster, Pennsylvania in 1979, by Doug Phillips (drums, vocals), Steve Zero (guitar), Sam Lugar (guitar, vocals), and Dave Sheaffer.

History

The band members started by playing cover versions of songs by new wave artists such as Elvis Costello, U2, and Talking Heads, but soon progressed to performing their own material as The Sharks. The band built up a regular following, playing gigs up and down the East coast, and their first single caught the ear of Billy Terrel, who asked the band to record a cover of "Fly Like an Eagle" for the Philadelphia Eagles Super Bowl XV team. This led to a guest spot on AM Philadelphia and gigs at venues such as New York's CBGB's.

West Side Story

West Side Story is an American musical with a book by Arthur Laurents, music by Leonard Bernstein, lyrics by Stephen Sondheim and conception and choreography by Jerome Robbins. It was inspired by William Shakespeare's play Romeo and Juliet.

The story is set in the Upper West Side neighborhood in New York City in the mid-1950s, an ethnic, blue-collar neighborhood. (In the early 1960s much of the neighborhood would be cleared in an urban renewal project for the Lincoln Center, changing the neighborhood's character.) The musical explores the rivalry between the Jets and the Sharks, two teenage street gangs of different ethnic backgrounds. The members of the Sharks, from Puerto Rico, are taunted by the Jets, a white gang. The young protagonist, Tony, a former member of the Jets and best friend of the gang leader, Riff, falls in love with Maria, the sister of Bernardo, the leader of the Sharks. The dark theme, sophisticated music, extended dance scenes, and focus on social problems marked a turning point in American musical theater. Bernstein's score for the musical includes "Something's Coming", "Maria", "America", "Somewhere", "Tonight", "Jet Song", "I Feel Pretty", "A Boy Like That", "One Hand, One Heart", "Gee, Officer Krupke", and "Cool".