Agnes de Mille was a well-known American dancer and choreographer who had a lengthy and adventurous career in the realms of theatre and ballet. She was renowned for the arduous trip she undertook in the world of theater. She brought ballet technique to musical comedy. She was the one who incorporated dancing to enrich the story’s narrative. In this sense, films such as ‘Oklahoma!’ and musicals such as ‘Bloomer Girl,’ ‘Brigadoon,’ ‘Carousel,’ and ‘Paint Your Wagon’ demonstrate her inventiveness. She choreographed about fifteen musicals and twenty-one ballets. She was a significant character in the new American realism, which incorporated ballet skills, vernacular dance, and contemporary psychology. Her sole successful picture was ‘Oklahoma!’, which prevented her from achieving success in Hollywood. In 1956, her works ‘The Art of Ballet’ and ‘The Art of Choreography’ were aired on television. Their attempts to showcase serious dancing garnered both of them public notice. She is also the author of other publications, including ‘Reprieve,’ ‘America Dances,’ etc. She received a number of major accolades for her contributions to the fields of dance and choreography.
Youth and Early Life
Agnes was the daughter of William Churchill de Mille, a renowned playwright, and Hollywood director who was born in New York. Anna George is her mother. Her uncle Cecil B. de Mille was also a film director in Hollywood.
She originally desired to become an actor, but eventually shifted her focus to dancing. Dancing was not a viable professional option during that age; hence, her parents forbade her from dancing.
She attended the modest private Hollywood School for Girls in California. Later, she attended the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA), where she earned her bachelor’s degree.
Agnes Mille’s Career
As she was unable to find work in the theater, she developed dances for herself, arranged the music, designed the costumes, and performed in a series of solo dance recitals.
She moved to London in 1933, where she studied with Dame Marie Rambert and joined The Ballet Club, Rambert’s company. She choreographed the film “Cleopatra” the next year, although the dances were deleted from the picture subsequently.
During one of her trips back to the United States, De Mille choreographed the ‘Romeo and Juliet dance starring Norma Shearer and Leslie Howard. The dance piece was exquisite and garnered Agnes a great deal of critical acclaim.
In November 1938, she returned to the United States and toured the entire country with renowned theater director Joseph Anthony and popular dancer Sybil Shearer.
In 1940, De Mille became a founding member of a ballet theater for which she developed “Black Ritual,” her first ballet. The ballet featured the first black dancers in the history of a ballet company.
In 1941, she wrote “Three Virgins and a Devil,” which became a huge success and was praised by critics and audiences alike.
De Mille produced a ballet for the Ballet Russe de Monte Carlo in 1942. The ballet was a tremendous success. On October 16, 1943, she danced the main part at the Metropolitan Opera House, earning a standing ovation.
‘Brigadoon’ was followed by ‘Allegro,’ for which De Mille served as both stage director and choreographer. She was the first dancer to attempt to simultaneously perform these roles. De Mille also directed “The Rape of Lucretia,” for which she was responsible.
She choreographed the 1953 picture Oklahoma!, which cost over a million dollars. However, she never thought this film to be exceptional.
President Kennedy selected her for the National Advisory Committee on the Arts due to her eloquence. She was also appointed to this organization’s National Council by President Johnson.
She established the Agnes de Mille Heritage Dance Theatre at the North Carolina School of the Arts in Winston-Salem in 1974. This company used to offer nationwide tours.
She was also a member of the Society of Stage Directors and Choreographers’ Board of Directors. She served as the organization’s president for numerous years.
Her Major Opera
In 1942, her first big ballet work, Rodeo, was published. It includes tap dance and Western-inspired motions. Aaron Copland composed the music for the film Rodeo. This of Agnes’s works garnered her critical acclaim.
Awards & Achievements
Her performance in “Brigadoon and Kwamina” garnered her two Tony Awards from the American Theatre Wing.
She was awarded an Emmy in 1987 for her work on “Agnes, The Indomitable de Mille.”
Personal History and Legacy
She wed Texan Walter Foy Prude on June 14, 1943. Jonathan de Mille Prude, who was born in 1946, was their son.
In 1993, at the age of 88, she died in her Greenwich Village apartment of a second stroke. At the time of her passing, she was still a significant person in her country’s cultural realm.
Estimated Net Worth
The primary sources of income for Agnes De Mille include theater director, ballet dancer, ballet master, choreographer, and dancer. Her estimated net worth is $4 million USD. We don’t have adequate evidence about Agnes De Mille’s automobiles, or Agnes De Mille’s lifestyle.
Trivia
She was initially interested in pursuing a career in acting but was informed she was “not pretty enough” Consequently, she switched her attention to dancing.
During her role as stage director and choreographer for ‘Allegro,’ she utilized three separate theaters to keep the actors, dancers, and singers occupied.