Rowan Brunt

“Agnes De Mille Musical Theatre and Ballet, we thank her”

25th March 2015

Grace Barnes

PAMTC1001

Student ID: 30301891

Agnes De Mille from Musical Theatre to Ballet, we thank her.

“ The truest expression of a people is in its dance and in its music. Bodies never lie” –

Agnes De Mille1

The following statement perfectly epitomizes the work and influence of the great

Agnes De Mille. Across various genres and generations she was ‘the’ choreographer

that lead the way in revolutionising the way that dance was incorporated into musical

theatre. Her chorography meant musical theatre was not just a spectacle but allowed

character extension and further development of the story. Musical theatre and ballet

both owe a lot to Agnes De Mille for creating modern dance works with American

subject matter for the general public.

Agnes De Mille was born on September 18th 1905 in Harlem, New York City to a

prominent performing arts family. Her father William C. De Mille would be working

on his plays with Broadway producer David Belasco while her uncle Cecil B de Mille

was acting and producing silent films with likes of Paramount films. It was obvious

from birth that Agnes was destined to be a strong female influence in the arts due to

her family connections. Her grandmother was only the second woman in America to

open a play broker office of Broadway dealing with playwrights and writers2. From a

young age Agnes would enter the world of pretend, often at the families house in

Sullivan County she recalled, she danced by herself in the woods and felt she was

destined to be a artist3

1 Dancer to the Piper and Promenade Home: A Two Part Memoir by Agnes De Mille, 1982, Foreword2 Matilda Beatrice De Mille3 Where the Wings Grow by Agnes De Mille, 1978

Originally Agnes grew up wishing to be an actress, but her parents told her she wasn’t

pretty enough to enter the industry. It was a touch of fate that saw her sister Magaret

put into ballet classes to cure her flat feet, which also De Mille got into the studio for

the first time. Later while watching a performance in New York De Mille drew

inspiration from Anna Pavlova, “ Anna Pavlova! My life stops as I write that name…I

had witnessed the power of beauty, and in some chamber of my heart I lost forever

my irresponsibility ”4. It was this moment in her youth that pushed De Mille in her

imminent career direction. After completing her degree in English from UCLA,

Agnes put her scholar days behind her and started to try to make her way onto the

stage. In 1928 she made her New York debut in “Stage Fright” a character-based

sketch based on a Degas statue. Agnes as the ‘young shy dancer’ choreographed the

movement with much accolades. David Martin the dance critic even likened the

young De Milles to Charlie Chaplin due to her unique ability to explore dramatic

choreography and “sees tragedy through a lens of comedy”5 It was during De Milles’

early choreographic adventures she meet other dance practitioners intent on recreating

the face of American dance. Among this period in New York De Mille meet a young

Martha Graham, whom till her death in 1991 became a close friend and comrade of

Agnes.

Very soon the New York skyline wasn’t enough for De Mille so she braved the travel

and crossed the Atlantic to Europe. It was here she travelled the continent performing

in Paris, Copenhagen and London, as well as studying under the tutelage of Dame

Marie Rambert of Ballet Rambert, now known as Rambert Dance Company based in

London.

4 Agnes De Mille by Judy L. Hasday, Transformed by a Ballerina pg 405 New York Time: Agnes De Mille, 88, Dance Visionary, is Dead. By Jack Anderson October 8th 1993

After various visits to and from America De Mille returned to America in 1940 to join

the artistic team at Ballet Theater (now known as American Ballet Theatre). De Mille

went on to create over 10 different works just for ABT, few including Three Virgins

and a Devil, Fall River Legend and Black Ritual are still performed to this day as part

of the companies repertoire. Particularly Black Ritual6 was progressive for the time as

the cast was made up completely of African American dancers, an American first in a

commercial ballet.

It was in the 1940’s that De Mille produced two of her most famous works. One ballet

by the name of Rodeo (1942) and the Rogers and Hammerstein musical Oklahoma!

(1943) as the choreographer. Rodeo was a ballet born out of Ballet Russe de Monte

Carlo’s initial residency that they took up in America during World War II. With

many local dancers in the troupe the company employed De Mille to create a show

full of American patriotism for the modern day audience. With an original score by

Aaron Copeland, De Mille set out with this international cast incorporating ballet into

the style of the mid western cowboy, a common theme within De Mille choreography

fusing folk dance into the classical world. Agnes herself led the cast into rave reviews

showcasing her “cowboy ballet” to a beloving New York audience. The avant garde

love story, the unique moves and with the enigmatic De Mille at the helm the ballet

goes down in American history as the first of a truly American Ballet. It is from this

show that the picture of Agnes mid air in full ‘cowgirl’ garb emerged.7

In 1943 De Mille teamed with the writing duo Rogers and Hammerstein to create

Oklahoma!, which to this date is regard the beginning of the ‘book musical’

worldwide. The storyline at its basic isn’t overly complex in itself; our leading lady

6 American Ballet Theatre, 1940. Accessabile through ABT websitehttp://www.abt.org/education/archive/choreographers/de_mille.html7 Accessible through Behind Ballet: Australian Ballet.http://www.behindballet.com/ballets-cowgirl/

Laurey has the choice between sweet Curly or dark mysterious Judd to take to the box

dance social night whilst set in the to be territory of Oklahoma. Though both song

writer/lyricist8 and choreographer had worked on a Broadway musical before, it was

marriage of story and music that created the perfect musical. The dream ballet itself is

not simply an interlude, but the exploration of Laurey’s psychological state, whilst

revealing new information (her love for Curly) and in turn furthers the characters

development. From start to finish the character was continually developed upon with

the aid of song and dance. De Mille believed that dramatic context had to influence

her movement so that the story could be portrayed accurately, for example: the patting

of the girls hand in the opening of the dream ballet is a extension of Laurey’s beating

heart before her wedding day. The musical went on to run for 2,212 performances,

became a Academy Award winning movie9, earned Rogers and Hammerstein a

Pulitzer Prize for the Arts10 and toured across the sea to England.

Agnes from this point went on to choreograph over 12 Broadway Musicals including:

One Touch of Venus (1943), Bloomer Girl (1944), Carousel (1945), Brigadoon

(1947), Allegro (1947), Gentlemen Prefer Blondes (1949), Paint Your Wagon (1951),

The Girl in Pink Tights (1954), Goldilocks (1957) and 110 in the Shade (1963). De

Mille constantly was pushing conventions within the musical theatre world by

challenging classical conventions with her use of folk dance, the Brigadoon sword

dance, “Some of the dances are merely illustrations of the music”11 being on of the

first director/ choreographers in Allegro, whilst maintain a successful career within

the American Ballet Theater new seasons.

8 Previous success separately. Rogers with Lorenz Hart eg. Pal Joey (1940), Babes in Arms (1937), and Hammerstein with various works such as Sigmund Romberg with The Desert Song (1926)9 1956 Academy Awards, Best Sound and Best Music, Scoring of a Musical10 1944 Pulitzer Prize. Special Citation (Letter)11 The New York Times Review of Brigadoon by Brook Atkinson.

It was during this era in 1943 that Agnes met her husband Jonathan Prude, a concert

manager that had worked with her dear friend Martha Graham. Below is an expert

from Carol Eustons biography No Intermissions, The Life of Agnes De Mille, giving

an insight into the couples initial meeting:

“At their first meeting, he was intrigued. She was enchanted. They met again

the next day - and the next, and the next. They both loved language and good

music; they played a game of listening to a string quartet and identifying the

period and composer. They made each other laugh.”12

And so they began their lives together.

From all her success within show business Agnes worked tirelessly for her love of

dance in more than just the arts arena. In 1973 she founded and created the Agnes De

Mille Heritage Dance Theatre where she created work based around her core group of

dancers. It was this ensemble that became her second family and appeared in many of

work; James Mitchell, Lidjia Franklin, Gemze de Lappe, Virgina Bolser, Jean

Houloose, Dania Krupska, Joan McCracken, Bambi Lin and Mavis Ray. The Heritage

Dance Theatre unfortunately never came to full fruition due to a cerebral haemorrhage

in 1974 that occurred minutes before De Mille stepped onto stage for one of her

famous lectures Conversations of Dance, with her dance family in the wings to

showcase her repertoire.

12 No Intermissions, The Life of Agnes De Mille by Carol Euston, Little Brown and Company, Boston 1996

This near to death experience limited De Mille’s workload but certainly did not

dampen her determination, going onto to choreograph five more ballets and appear in

revivals of her original choreography as a supervisor. In the coming years Agnes was

awarded the New York City’s Handel Medallion 1976 which is the highest

commendation to a New York citizen, she penned over 5 memoirs on her experience

in the ever changing dance industry as well as seven other novels/journals on the

American dance scene including a biography on her dear friend Martha Graham titled

“Martha: The Life and Work of Martha”. Coming into her final years it was as if De

Mille herself knew that she was ready to leave the industry yet she continued to

spread her knowledge with various university appearances tutoring young dance

majors and appearing in front of Congress three times in support of the arts. Her final

ballet The Other deals with the oppositional forces of life and death, also noted as

some of the most intricate and beautiful pas de deux choreography Agnes ever

created.

Agnes’ death on October 7th 1992, aged 88, was a truly sad day for not only the Great

White Way but also for dance worldwide. Agnes De Mille’s original work in

Oklahoma! was the springboard for choreographers to come to fully express their

characters and explore the influence dance can have on the storyline, the audience and

even what doors are opened for the dancer themselves. De Mille to me is a pioneer

that is often disregarded among younger dancers, even musical performers. Our basic

acting training tells us to act upon our natural instincts, De Mille herself did this with

the extension of gestures into dance and creating consistent character regardless of

what you sing, speak or dance on stage.

Bibliography

“Agnes De Mille talks about Oklahoma” YouTube video. 14:58. Posted by “markie polo” September 24th. 2013. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iW35nQUZdk4

“Day at Night: Agnes de Mile” YouTube Video, 28:04 min. Posted by “cunytv75” January 13th. 2011. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lK1l9P8roYE

Easton, Carol. No Intermissions: The Life of Agnes De Milles

Hasday, Judy L. Agnes De Milles. Chelsea House Pub. 2003

Los Angeles Times. Dance: Class from the Old School: Choreographer Agnes de Mille, standard- bearer for a past generation, keeps on writing, rehearsing: ‘What else would I do?’ she says. Berman, Janice. January 17th, 1993.

Los Angeles Times. Recollections: Agnes de Mille: Indomitable, Inimitable. Bernheimer, Martin. October 9th, 1993.

Los Angeles Times. De Mille—An American Original Returns to ABT. Price, Walter. February 28th ,1988.

Los Angeles Times. Dance Review: New Ballet by Agnes de Mille. Bernherimer, Martin. March 17th 1988

“Martha Graham- The Dancer Revealed- Ovation” YouTube video. 4:50. Posted by “Ovation” July 7th. 2008. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ozu2M1nD1B4

New York Times. Agnes de Mille, 88, Dance Visionary, Is Dead. Anderson, Jack. October 8th 1993

Oklahoma!, directed by Fred Zinnemann. 2005; 20th Century Fox, DVD

Sagolla, Lisa Jo. The Girl Who Fell Down: A Bibliography of Joan McCracken . UPNE,2003.

The Independent UK. Obituary: Agnes de Mille. Vallance, Tom. October 11th 1993

“Walter Prude and Agnes de Mille”. TntCarden Geneology. June 1999. 1999. http://www.tntcarden.com/tree/Foy/wfp1909.htm

Will, Max. Ok! The Story of Oklahoma. Applause Books 2002

Annotated Bibliography

“Agnes De Mille talks about Oklahoma” YouTube video. 14:58. Posted by “markie polo” September 24th. 2013. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iW35nQUZdk4

This source was helpful as it was a one on one interview with De Milles herself explaining her thought process in creating the choreography.

“Day at Night: Agnes de Mile” YouTube Video, 28:04 min. Posted by “cunytv75” January 13th. 2011. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lK1l9P8roYE

This video was more of a insight into Agnes herself though not overly factual. It speaks about her books, change in dance and her impact.

Easton, Carol. No Intermissions: The Life of Agnes De Milles AndHasday, Judy L. Agnes De Milles. Chelsea House Pub. 2003

Both of these biographies gave great insight into De Milles childhood and her family life, which influenced her dance career.

Los Angeles Times. Dance: Class from the Old School: Choreographer Agnes de Mille, standard- bearer for a past generation, keeps on writing, rehearsing: ‘What else would I do?’ she says. Berman, Janice. January 17th, 1993.

Los Angeles Times. Recollections: Agnes de Mille: Indomitable, Inimitable. Bernheimer, Martin. October 9th, 1993.

Los Angeles Times. De Mille—An American Original Returns to ABT. Price, Walter. February 28th ,1988.

Los Angeles Times. Dance Review: New Ballet by Agnes de Mille. Bernherimer, Martin. March 17th 1988

All these articles were not particularly helpful in my research as many of them were other opinion pieces on De Milles life and work or they were repeated information from other sources.

“Martha Graham- The Dancer Revealed- Ovation” YouTube video. 4:50. Posted by “Ovation” July 7th. 2008. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ozu2M1nD1B4

This video did not add to my essay really at all. It is actually Agnes speaking about her friendship with Martha Graham which only lasted about 30 seconds. Could of gone without.

New York Times. Agnes de Mille, 88, Dance Visionary, Is Dead. Anderson, Jack.

October 8th 1993

This source was probably the most helpful as it was current to her death and written by a journalist in the arts arena. He accounted much of her life work though didn’t focus to much on the influence but kept it very factual.

Oklahoma!, directed by Fred Zinnemann. 2005; 20th Century Fox, DVD

I already own this film and had watched it previously, but I rewatched to see if I could spot the choreographic moments that were unique to De Milles.

Sagolla, Lisa Jo. The Girl Who Fell Down: A Bibliography of Joan McCracken . UPNE,2003.

This text I found through a database as it made reference to both De Milles and Rogers & Hammerstein. It was from this source that I found other references to seek out.

The Independent UK. Obituary: Agnes de Mille. Vallance, Tom. October 11th 1993

I used this obituary as a way to back up other facts I found on other websites. As there were some times where I would two different dates that I needed confirming.

“Walter Prude and Agnes de Mille”. TntCarden Geneology. June 1999. 1999. http://www.tntcarden.com/tree/Foy/wfp1909.htm

I read this book as an attempt to find out more about her relationship with husband. There was never much mention of him in the articles or obituaries I read so I took to find further research.

Will, Max. Ok! The Story of Oklahoma. Applause Books 2002

I did not read into this source to much. I had already found much of my information regarding the creation of Oklahoma! from the interviews where Agnes spoke on her creative process. The book was more of a focus of Rogers and Hammerstein.