Agnes De Mille
Agnes De Mille
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Full Name and Common Aliases
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Agnes Ermina De Mille was a renowned American choreographer, dancer, and director of stage musicals.
Birth and Death Dates
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Born: April 18, 1901, in New York City, USA
Died: October 7, 1993, in Culver City, California, USA
Nationality and Profession(s)
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Agnes De Mille was an American of Hungarian descent. She is best known for her work as a choreographer and dancer in the field of ballet and modern dance.
Early Life
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Born to Cecil Blanche De Mille and Anna Gershin, Agnes grew up surrounded by the arts. Her uncle was the famous film director Cecil B. De Mille, who directed classics such as _The Ten Commandments_ and _Ben-Hur_. Agnes began her dance training at a young age, studying ballet with renowned teachers in Paris and London.
Major Accomplishments
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Agnes De Mille made significant contributions to the world of dance and theater. She is considered one of the most influential choreographers of the 20th century. Her groundbreaking work included:
_Oklahoma!_ (1943) - a musical that blended ballet with American folk music, setting a new standard for musical theater
_Ballet Russe de Monte Carlo_ (1925-1931) - she worked as a principal dancer and choreographer for the company, performing works by renowned Russian choreographers
_Rodeo_ (1942) - a ballet that showcased American cowboy culture and was considered a departure from traditional European dance stylesNotable Works or Actions
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In addition to her choreographic work, Agnes De Mille was a vocal advocate for women's rights and racial equality. She was known for her strong personality and unwavering commitment to artistic expression.
Some notable works and actions include:
Rodeo (1942) - a ballet that showcased American cowboy culture
_The Four Marys_ (1935) - an opera that explored themes of love, jealousy, and betrayalImpact and Legacy
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Agnes De Mille's contributions to dance and theater have left a lasting impact on the world. Her innovative approach to choreography paved the way for future generations of dancers and choreographers.
Her legacy extends beyond her work in the arts:
Pioneering Women - Agnes was a trailblazer for women in male-dominated fields, breaking down barriers and challenging societal norms
_American Folk Culture_ - Her celebration of American music and dance helped shape the country's cultural identityWhy They Are Widely Quoted or Remembered
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Agnes De Mille is widely quoted and remembered for her:
Visionary Choreography - her innovative approach to dance, blending traditional techniques with modern styles
* _Strong Personality_ - she was known for her unwavering commitment to artistic expression and her unapologetic views on social issues
Agnes De Mille's life and work continue to inspire artists, dancers, and anyone who values creativity, innovation, and self-expression. Her legacy serves as a reminder of the power of art to transform lives and challenge societal norms.
Quotes by Agnes De Mille
Agnes De Mille's insights on:
Living is a form of not being sure, not knowing what next or how. The moment you know how, you begin to die a little.
The choreographic process is exhausting. It happens on one’s feet after hours of work, and the energy required is roughly the equivalent of writing a novel and winning a tennis match simultaneously.
Theater people are always pining and agonizing because they’re afraid that they’ll be forgotten. And in America they’re quite right. They will be.
Ours is an upbeat, a hurried, hasty beat. It keeps pressing us to go farther, to include everything so that we can savor everything, so that we can know everything, so that we will miss nothing. Partly it’s greed, but mainly its curiosity. We just want to experience it. And we do.
I had had to learn the difference between the bearable fatigue and the unbearable, the fatigue of fear. The first can be cured by a night’s sleep; the second kills.
We can’t stand the silence because silence includes thinking. And if we thought, we would have to face ourselves.
Modern dancers give a sinister portent about our times. The dancers don’t even look at one another. They are just a lot of isolated individuals jiggling in a kind of self-hypnosis and dancing with others only to remind themselves that we are not completely alone in this world.
Dancing is such a despised and dishonored trade that if you tell a doctor or a laywer you do choreography he’ll look at you as if you were a hummingbird. Dancers don’t get invited to visit people. It is assumed a boy dancer will run off with the spoons and a girl with the head of the house.
