Agnes George de Mille (September 18, 1905 – October 7, 1993) was an American

dancer Dance is an The arts, art form, consisting of sequences of body movements with aesthetic and often Symbol, symbolic value, either improvised or purposefully selected. Dance can be categorized and described by its choreography, by its repertoir ...

and

choreographer Choreography is the art of designing sequences of movements of physical bodies (or their depictions) in which Motion (physics), motion or Visual appearance, form or both are specified. ''Choreography'' may also refer to the design itself. A chor ...

Early years

Agnes de Mille was born in New York City into a well-connected family of theater professionals. Her father

William C. deMille William Churchill deMille (July 25, 1878 – March 5, 1955), also spelled de Mille or De Mille, was an American screenwriter and film director from the silent film era through the early 1930s. He was also a noted playwright prior to moving into ...

and her uncle

Cecil B. DeMille Cecil Blount DeMille (; August 12, 1881January 21, 1959) was an American filmmaker and actor. Between 1914 and 1958, he made 70 features, both silent and sound films. He is acknowledged as a founding father of American cinema and the most co ...

were both Hollywood directors. Her mother, Anna Angela George, was the daughter of

Henry George Henry George (September 2, 1839 – October 29, 1897) was an American political economist, Social philosophy, social philosopher and journalist. His writing was immensely popular in 19th-century America and sparked several reform movements of ...

, the economist. On her father's side, Agnes was the granddaughter of playwrights

Henry Churchill de Mille Henry Churchill de Mille (September 17, 1853 – February 10, 1893) was an American dramatist and Georgist, and the father of film pioneers Cecil B. de Mille and William C. de Mille, and the paternal grandfather of the dancer and choreographer ...

and Matilda Beatrice deMille. Her paternal grandmother was of German-Jewish descent. She had a love for acting and originally wanted to be an actress, but was told that she was "not pretty enough", so she turned her attention to dance. As a child, she had longed to dance, but dance at this time was considered more of an activity, rather than a viable career option, so her parents refused to allow her to dance. She did not seriously consider dancing as a career until after she graduated from college. When de Mille's younger sister was prescribed ballet classes to cure her flat feet, de Mille joined her. De Mille lacked flexibility and technique, though, and did not have a dancer's body. Classical ballet was the most widely known dance form at this time, and de Mille's apparent lack of ability limited her opportunities. She taught herself from watching film stars on the set with her father in Hollywood; these were more interesting for her to watch than perfectly turned out legs, and she developed strong character work and compelling performances. One of de Mille's early jobs, thanks to her father's connections, was choreographing Cecil B. DeMille's film ''

Cleopatra Cleopatra VII Thea Philopator (; The name Cleopatra is pronounced , or sometimes in both British and American English, see and respectively. Her name was pronounced in the Greek dialect of Egypt (see Koine Greek phonology). She was ...

'' (1934). DeMille's dance director

LeRoy Prinz LeRoy Jerome Prinz (July 14, 1895 – September 15, 1983) was an American choreographer, director and producer, who was involved in the production of dozens of motion pictures, mainly for Paramount Pictures and Warner Brothers, from 1929 through ...

clashed with the younger de Mille. Her uncle always deferred to Prinz, even after agreeing to his niece's dances in advance, and Agnes de Mille left the film. De Mille graduated from UCLA with a degree in English where she was a member of

Kappa Alpha Theta Kappa Alpha Theta (), commonly referred to simply as Theta, is an international Fraternities and sororities, sorority founded on January 27, 1870, at DePauw University in Greencastle, Indiana. It was the first Greek-letter fraternity established ...

sorority, and in 1933 moved to London to study with

Dame Marie Rambert Dame Marie Rambert DBE (born Cyvia Rambam; 20 February 188812 June 1982) was a Polish-born English dancer and pedagogue who exerted great influence on British ballet, both as a dancer and teacher. Early years and background Born to a liberal ...

, eventually joining Rambert's company,

The Ballet Club Rambert (known as Rambert Dance Company before 2014) is a leading British dance company. Formed at the start of the 20th century as a classical ballet company, it exerted a great deal of influence on the development of dance in the United Kingd ...

, later

Ballet Rambert Rambert (known as Rambert Dance Company before 2014) is a leading British dance company. Formed at the start of the 20th century as a classical ballet company, it exerted a great deal of influence on the development of dance in the United Kingd ...

, and

Antony Tudor Antony Tudor (born William Cook; 4 April 1908 – 19 April 1987) was an English ballet choreographer, teacher and dancer. He founded the London Ballet, and later the Philadelphia Ballet Guild in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, U.S., in the mid-195 ...

London Ballet London Ballet was a short lived British ballet company founded by the British choreographer and former Ballet Rambert dancer Antony Tudor in 1938, along with Rambert members Hugh Laing, Andrée Howard, Agnes de Mille, Peggy van Praagh, Maude Llo ...

Career

De Mille arrived in New York in 1938 and later began her association with the

American Ballet Theatre American Ballet Theatre (ABT) is a classical ballet company based in New York City. Founded in 1939 by Lucia Chase and Richard Pleasant. Through 2019, it had an annual eight-week season at the Metropolitan Opera House (Lincoln Center) in the spr ...

(then called the Ballet Theatre) in 1939. One of de Mille's first pieces was ''Black Ritual'' (''Obeah''), which she began choreographing for the newly formed Ballet Theatre's first season.Black Ritual (Obeah). World Premiere. The Center Theatre, New York. Repertory Archive. American Ballet Theatre (ABT). Note: The ABT website lists the program on "January 22, 1940," https://www.abt.org/ballet/black-ritual-obeah/ and the actual program lists the performance date as "Thursday Evening, February 1, 1940." see Jerome Robbins Dance Division, The New York Public Library. (1940). Program for Black Ritual (Obeah), The Center Theatre. Lasting 25 minutes, this performance was created for the "Negro Unit" of the dance company and was performed by 16 black

ballerinas A ballet dancer is a person who practices the art of classical ballet. Both females and males can practice ballet. They rely on years of extensive training and proper technique to become a part of a professional ballet company. Ballet dancers ...

. This was the first representation of black dancers in a New York ballet performance within the context of a dominantly white company. Therefore, although it was only performed three times before being disbanded, ''Black Ritual'' was an unprecedented performance, changing perceptions about black ballet dancers and marking a significant milestone in American ballet history. De Mille's first recognized significant work was ''

Rodeo Rodeo () is a competitive equestrian sport that arose out of the working practices of cattle herding in Spain and Mexico, expanding throughout the Americas and to other nations. It was originally based on the skills required of the working vaqu ...

'' (1942), whose score was by

Aaron Copland Aaron Copland (, ; November 14, 1900December 2, 1990) was an American composer, critic, writer, teacher, pianist, and conductor of his own and other American music. Copland was referred to by his peers and critics as the "Dean of American Compos ...

, and which she staged for the

Ballet Russe de Monte Carlo The company Ballets Russes de Monte-Carlo (with a plural name) was formed in 1932 after the death of Sergei Diaghilev and the demise of Ballets Russes. Its director was Wassily de Basil (usually referred to as Colonel W. de Basil), and it ...

. Although de Mille continued to choreograph nearly up to the time of her death—her final ballet, ''The Other'', was completed in 1992—most of her later works have dropped out of the ballet repertoire. Besides ''Rodeo'', two other de Mille ballets are performed regularly, ''Three Virgins and a Devil'' (1934) adapted from a tale by

Giovanni Boccaccio Giovanni Boccaccio ( , ; ; 16 June 1313 – 21 December 1375) was an Italian people, Italian writer, poet, correspondent of Petrarch, and an important Renaissance humanism, Renaissance humanist. Born in the town of Certaldo, he became so ...

, and ''

Fall River Legend ''Fall River Legend'' is a ballet by American choreographer Agnes de Mille, with music by Morton Gould. Set in Massachusetts in 1892-1893, the ballet tells the infamous story of Lizzie Borden. The work notably alters the outcome of the court case, ...

'' (1948) based on the life of

Lizzie Borden Lizzie Andrew Borden (July 19, 1860 – June 1, 1927) was an American woman who was Trial, tried and Acquittal, acquitted of the August 4, 1892 axe murders of her Patricide, father and stepmother in Fall River, Massachusetts. No one else was c ...

. While she lived in New York and was working for Ballet Theatre in 1941, de Mille choreographed ''Drums Sound in Hackensack'' for the Jooss Ballet (originally located in Germany), which had just moved to New York in 1939. This was an important step in the company's history as it was the first performance not choreographed by Kurt Jooss himself. Although there are no film recordings of the performance, de Mille's choreography notes and personal reflections of the dancers shed light on the characteristics of the performance. The piece was placed in a historical context with an American theme and fit the traditional mold for de Mille's pieces featuring a female perspective. As one of the first pieces de Mille choreographed for a group of dancers rather than simply one or two people, the performance was significant in her career as a choreographer. After her success with ''Rodeo'' de Mille was hired to choreograph the musical ''

Oklahoma! ''Oklahoma!'' is the first musical theater, musical written by the duo of Rodgers and Hammerstein. The musical is based on Lynn Riggs's 1931 play, ''Green Grow the Lilacs (play), Green Grow the Lilacs''. Set in farm country outside the town of ...

'' (1943). The dream ballet, in which dancers Marc Platt, Katherine Sergava, and George Church doubled for the leading actors, successfully integrated dance into the musical's plot. Instead of functioning as an interlude or ''divertissement'', the ballet provided key insights into the heroine's emotional troubles. This performance exemplifies how de Mille brought new ideas to the performing arts, integrating dance to enhance the musical. This production is widely known for this innovative idea and is credited for starting de Mille's fame as a choreographer, both for Broadway and in the dance industry. De Mille went on to choreograph over a dozen other musicals, most notably ''

Bloomer Girl ''Bloomer Girl'' is a 1944 Broadway theatre, Broadway musical theatre, musical with music by Harold Arlen, lyrics by E.Y. Harburg, and a book by Sig Herzig and Fred Saidy, based on an unpublished play by writer Daniel Lewis James and his wife Lili ...

'' (1944), which presented her feelings of loneliness as a woman who saw her husband leave to serve for the army, ''

Carousel A carousel or carrousel (mainly North American English), merry-go-round (International English), or galloper (British English) is a type of amusement ride consisting of a rotating circular platform with seats for riders. The seats are tradit ...

'' (1945), ''

Allegro Allegro may refer to: Common meanings * Allegro (music), a tempo marking that indicates to playing quickly and brightly (from Italian meaning ''cheerful'') * Allegro (ballet), brisk and lively movement Artistic works * L'Allegro (1645), a poem b ...

'' (1947, director as well as choreographer), ''

Brigadoon ''Brigadoon'' is a musical with book and lyrics by Alan Jay Lerner and score by Frederick Loewe. The plot features two American tourists who stumble upon Brigadoon, a mysterious Scottish village that appears for only one day every 100 years; on ...

'' (1947, for which she was co-recipient of the inaugural

Tony Award for Best Choreography The Tony Award for Best Choreography is awarded to acknowledge the contributions of choreographers in both musicals and plays. The award has been given since 1947, but nominees were not announced until 1956. Winners and nominees 1940s 1950s ...

), '' Gentlemen Prefer Blondes'' (1949), '' Paint Your Wagon'' (1951), '' The Girl in Pink Tights'' (1954), ''

Goldilocks "Goldilocks and the Three Bears" is a 19th-century English fairy tale of which three versions exist. The original version of the tale tells of an impudent old woman who enters the forest home of three anthropomorphic bachelor bears while th ...

'' (1957), and '' 110 in the Shade'' (1963). These many dance performances within musical theater enriched Broadway musicals by how they provided perspective on the events of the time. De Mille's success on Broadway did not translate into success in film. Her only significant film credit is ''

'' (1955). She was not invited to recreate her choreography for either ''Brigadoon'' (1954) or ''Carousel'' (1956). Nevertheless, her two specials for the '' Omnibus'' TV series titled "The Art of Ballet" and "The Art of Choreography" (both televised in 1956) were immediately recognized as landmark attempts to bring serious dance to the attention of a broad public. During his presidency, John F. Kennedy appointed de Mille a member of the National Advisory Committee on the Arts, the predecessor to the National Endowment for the Arts, to which she was appointed by President Lyndon B. Johnson after its creation. Her love for acting played a very important role in her choreography. De Mille revolutionized musical theatre by creating choreography that not only conveyed the emotional dimensions of the characters but enhanced the plot. Her choreography, as a reflection of her awareness of acting, reflected the angst and turmoil of the characters instead of simply focusing on a dancer's physical technique. De Mille regularly worked with a recognizable core group of dancers, including Virginia Bosler (Doris),

Gemze de Lappe Gemze de Lappe (February 28, 1922 – November 11, 2017) was an American dancer who worked very closely with Agnes de Mille and was frequently partnered by de Mille's favorite male dancer, James Mitchell. Born to Birch Wood de Lappe, an actor a ...

, Lidija Franklin, Jean Houloose,

Dania Krupska Dania Krupska (August 13, 1921 – August 27, 2011) was an American dancer and choreographer. Krupska was born in Fall River, Massachusetts in 1921 to Polish immigrants, Bronisław and Anna Krupska. Anna, a concert pianist who had studied ballet ...

, Bambi Linn,

Joan McCracken Joan Hume McCracken (December 31, 1917 – November 1, 1961) was an American dancer and actress who became famous for her role as Sylvie ("The Girl Who Falls Down") in the original 1943 production of ''Oklahoma!'' She also was noted for her per ...

, James Mitchell, Mavis Ray, and, at American Ballet Theatre, Sallie Wilson. Krupska, Mitchell, and Ray served as de Mille's assistant choreographers, and de Lappe took an active role in preserving de Mille's work. In 1973, de Mille founded the

Agnes de Mille Dance Theatre The Agnes de Mille Dance Theatre toured the United States from 1953 to 1954 under the aegis of producer Sol Hurok. The company offered an overview of Agnes de Mille's choreography to that date, with the addition of Anna Sokolow's "Short Lecture & D ...

, which she later revived as Heritage Dance Theatre. De Mille developed a love for public speaking, becoming an outspoken advocate for dance in America. She spoke in front of Congress three times: once in the Senate, once in the House of Representatives, and once for the Committee for Medical Research. She was interviewed in the television documentary series '' Hollywood: A Celebration of the American Silent Film'' (1980) primarily discussing the work of her uncle

. Agnes de Mille appears in a wheelchair in

Frederick Wiseman Frederick Wiseman (born January 1, 1930) is an American filmmaker, documentarian, and theater director. His work is primarily about exploring American institutions. In 2017, ''The New York Times'' called him "one of the most important and origina ...

's 1995 film

Ballet Ballet () is a type of performance dance that originated during the Italian Renaissance in the fifteenth century and later developed into a concert dance form in France and Russia. It has since become a widespread and highly technical form of ...

rehearsing her final piece, "The Other." She tells her star "You must look like something that's absolutely broken, and stuck up in the wind."

Writings

DeMille's 1951 memoir ''Dance to the Piper'' was translated into five languages. It was reissued in 2015 by ''

New York Review Books New York Review Books (NYRB) is the publishing division of ''The New York Review of Books''. Its imprints are New York Review Books Classics, New York Review Books Collections, The New York Review Children's Collection, New York Review Comics, ...

''. De Mille was a lifelong friend of

modern dance Modern dance is a broad genre of western concert dance, concert or theatrical dance which includes dance styles such as ballet, folk, ethnic, religious, and social dancing; and primarily arose out of Europe and the United States in the late 19th ...

legend

Martha Graham Martha Graham (May 11, 1894 – April 1, 1991) was an American modern dancer, teacher and choreographer, whose style, the Graham technique, reshaped the dance world and is still taught in academies worldwide. Graham danced and taught for over s ...

. De Mille, in 1992, published ''Martha: The Life and Work of Martha Graham'', a biography of Graham that de Mille worked on for more than 30 years. After suffering from a near-fatal stroke, she wrote five books: ''Reprieve'' (which outlined the experience), ''Who Was Henry George?'', ''Where the Wings Grow'', ''America Dances'', ''Portrait Gallery'', and ''Martha: The Life and Work of Martha Graham''. She also wrote ''And Promenade Home'', ''To a Young Dancer'', ''The Book of Dance'', ''Lizzie Borden: Dance of Death'', ''Dance in America'', ''Russian Journals'', and ''Speak to Me, Dance with Me''. De Mille also wrote an introduction entitled "Anna George de Mille - A Note About the Author" to the book ''Henry George: Citizen of the World'' by Anna George de Mille (daughter of Henry George & Agnes' mother) which was published in 1950 by the University of North Carolina Press.

Personal life

De Mille married Walter Prude on June 14, 1943. They had one child, Jonathan, born in 1946. Agnes de Mille donated her papers to the

Sophia Smith Collection The Sophia Smith Collection at Smith College is an internationally recognized repository of manuscripts, photographs, periodicals and other primary sources in women's history. General One of the largest recognized repositories of manuscripts, a ...

Smith College Smith College is a Private university, private Liberal arts colleges in the United States, liberal arts Women's colleges in the United States, women's college in Northampton, Massachusetts, United States. It was chartered in 1871 by Sophia Smit ...

"between 1959 and 1968, and her ''Dance To The Piper'' was purchased in 1994. Three films were donated by Lester Tome in 2010. The bulk of the papers date from 1914 to 1960 and focus on both personal and professional aspects of de Mille's life." She suffered a stroke on stage in 1975, but recovered. She died in 1993 of a second stroke in her

Greenwich Village Greenwich Village, or simply the Village, is a neighborhood on the west side of Lower Manhattan in New York City, bounded by 14th Street (Manhattan), 14th Street to the north, Broadway (Manhattan), Broadway to the east, Houston Street to the s ...

apartment.

Legacy

De Mille was inducted into the

American Theater Hall of Fame The American Theater Hall of Fame was founded in 1972 in New York City. The first head of its executive committee was Earl Blackwell. In an announcement in 1972, he said that the new ''Theater Hall of Fame'' would be located in the Uris Theatre, ...

in 1973. De Mille's many other awards include the

Tony Award The Antoinette Perry Award for Excellence in Broadway Theatre, more commonly known as a Tony Award, recognizes excellence in live Broadway theatre. The awards are presented by the American Theatre Wing and The Broadway League at an annual ce ...

for

Best Choreography The MTV Video Music Award for Best Choreography is a craft award given to the artist, the artist's manager, and choreographer of the music video. From 1984 to 2007, the full name of the award was Best Choreography in a Video. The biggest winner ...

(1947, for ''

''; 1962, for '' Kwamina''), the Handel Medallion for achievement in the arts (1976), an honor from the Kennedy Center (1980), an Emmy for her work in ''The Indomitable de Mille'' (1980),

Drama Desk Special Award The Drama Desk Special Award is an annual award presented by Drama Desk in recognition of achievements by an individual or an organization that has made a significant contribution to the theatre across collective Broadway, off-Broadway or off-o ...

(1986) and, in 1986, she was awarded the

National Medal of Arts The National Medal of Arts is an award and title created by the United States Congress in 1984, for the purpose of honoring artists and Patronage, patrons of the arts. A prestigious American honor, it is the highest honor given to artists and ar ...

. De Mille also received seven honorary degrees from various colleges and universities. She was featured on a U.S. postage stamp in 2004. At present, the only commercially available examples of de Mille's choreography are parts one and two of ''

'' by the American Ballet Theatre, ''Fall River Legend'' (filmed in 1989 by the

Dance Theatre of Harlem Dance Theatre of Harlem (DTH) is an American professional ballet company and school based in Harlem, New York City. It was founded in 1969 under the directorship of Arthur Mitchell and later partnered with Karel Shook. Milton Rosenstock served ...

) and ''

References

Notes Further reading * * Memoirs, anecdotes about famous performing artists.