THE LIFE OF AGNES DE MILLE
By: Danielle
"This
is a model of Shirley Jones from the movie, Oklahoma!"--Danielle
Agnes de Mille was a famous American
dancer and choreographer during the 1920's through the early 1950's.
(A choreographer plans out dances.) Miss de Mille earned her fame
because she was a wonderful dancer and created well though out dance productions
which included American themes such as westerns with cowboys, farmers and
rodeos.
Agnes de Mille was born sometime between 1904 and
1909 in New York City. In 1914 her family moved to Hollywood.
She majored in English at the University of California in Los Angeles.
After she graduated from college, she decided instead of writing stories
she wanted to express her stories with movement.
Agnes de Mille did not take dance lessons until
she was 13 years old. As a late learner she would never be a "super
ballerina," but this forced her to look at dancing a little differently
and later led her to become a choreographer. She studied ballet under Theodore
Kosloff. Miss de Mille started dancing professionally in 2928.
She gave dance concerts in the United States and Europe until the 2940's
and won many awards for her work.
In the 1940's Agnes de Mille began choreographing
and became involved with the American Balled Theater (ABT). The ABT
and the New York City Ballet were America's two major dance organizations.
The ABT performed many of Miss de Mille's productions. In 1942 she created
her first major choreographic show, Rodeo. In Rodeo there
were many American type movements such as tap dancing, bronco riding, and
steer roping.
The lively style of dancing that Miss de Mille created
for Rodeo caught the attention of Rodgers and Hammerstein. The dances she
created for Oklahoma! were very important because Oklahoma!
was one of the first musicals to successfully have dancing, singing, and
story, all in one show! It was the start of an important trend.
The other shows she choreographed were Carousel, Bloomer Girl, Brigadoon,
Gentlemen Prefer Blondes, and Paint Your Wagon.
In her later years, Agnes de Mille wrote
several books, including Dance to Piper, Promenade Home, Where the Wings
Grow and The Book of Dance. She died in 1993.
RETURN
Bibliography
"De Mille, Agnes." Compton's New Media, Inc., 1995. CD-ROM
Easton, C. "No Intermissions; The Life of Agnes de Mille." Grolier
Interactive, Inc. 1998. CD-ROM
Matheson, Kathy, "Ballet". World Book Multimedia Encyclopedia.
1997 CD-ROM
Odom, Selma Landen, "De Mille, Agnes." World Book Multimedia
Encyclopedia. 1997. CD-ROM