de Mille, Agnes George

▪ 1994

      U.S. choreographer (b. Sept. 18, 1905, New York, N.Y.—d. Oct. 7, 1993, New York), changed the face of American dance by incorporating American subject matter and elements of folk dancing into her ballets, and she revolutionized musical comedy by making dance not just a spectacular diversion but an integral part of the action. Her choreography was instrumental in advancing the plot and helping to define the characters. De Mille, the daughter of the playwright William Churchill de Mille and the niece of the motion-picture producer-director Cecil B. DeMille, moved with her family to Hollywood in 1914. After seeing dance performances by Anna Pavlova and Ruth St. Denis, she decided to be a dancer and began taking ballet classes. Her father insisted that she be educated, however, and she attended the University of California at Los Angeles, graduating cum laude with a degree in English. She thereupon resumed her dance training and moved to New York City. De Mille soon began performing, and in 1928 she gave her first solo recital. From 1929 to 1940 she toured in the U.S. and Europe, studying, performing, and choreographing. In 1937 she danced in the premiere of Antony Tudor's Dark Elegies with Ballet Rambert in London. In 1940 she began choreographing for Ballet Theatre (later American Ballet Theatre) in New York City, and in 1942 she created Rodeo for the Ballet Russe de Monte Carlo; it proved to be her first major success. Set on a ranch, it combined square dancing and tap dancing with ballet, and de Mille herself danced the lead role of the cowgirl. After that triumph, she was invited to choreograph the Broadway musical Oklahoma! (1943), which ran for more than five years and reigned as one of the greatest successes in American musical comedy. Her dance choreography strengthened the story and added to the dramatic atmosphere; the "dream ballet" that ended the first act provided psychological insights into the show's main character. Other Broadway successes followed, including Carousel (1945), Brigadoon (1947), Gentlemen Prefer Blondes (1949), Paint Your Wagon (1951), Kwamina (1961), and 110 in the Shade (1963). De Mille also continued to create ballets. Fall River Legend (1948), based on the true story of Lizzie Borden, was widely regarded as her masterpiece. In addition, she wrote extensively, with 12 books, some of them autobiographical, among her output. Even after a cerebral hemorrhage disabled her in 1975, she continued to work, choreographing The Informer (1988) and The Other (1992), writing, and lecturing. De Mille was given more than 15 honorary degrees and was elected to the Theater Hall of Fame (1973). She received two Tony awards (1947 and 1962), the Handel Medallion (1976), the Kennedy Center Career Achievement Award (1980), and the National Medal of the Arts (1986).

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