Agnes de mille short biography

Agnes de Mille was one of the preeminent American choreographers of the twentieth century. Entering a field dominated by men, de Mille created a distinct American style of dance and choreographed some of the most beloved American ballets. She remains an inspiration to dancers and choreographers. 

Agnes de Mille was born on September 18, 1905 in the Morningside Heights neighborhood in Manhattan, New York. She was the first child born to William Churchill de Mille, a famous and successful playwright, and Anna George, the daughter of one-time progressive New York mayoral candidate and reformer, Henry George. As children, de Mille and her younger sister Margaret were quite dramatic and liked to give piano recitals and stage small productions for their family and friends. Yet de Mille’s parents refused to let her take dance lessons, arguing dancers had poor reputations. 

In 1914, de Mille moved to Hollywood to follow her father. William had moved to Hollywood in order to try and "make

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Agnes de Mille, 1954.Photograph bygd Everett

Of the choreographer Agnes de Mille it has been said that she was a better writer than she was a choreographer. That’s not the way she planned it. She made twenty-one ballets and the dances for fifteen musicals, and she worked on them mot her brain practically bled. She had several huge successes, above all, her cowboy ballet, Rodeo (1942), plus the dances for Rodgers and Hammerstein’s Oklahoma! (1943) and Carousel (1945). By the end of the 1940s she was the best-known choreographer in America. What remains in repertory today, however, fryst vatten just Rodeo and two lesser ballets, Three Virgins and a Devil (1941) and Fall River Legend (1948). As for her writing, she claimed she did it, or at least began doing it, quite casually, “whenever inom had fifteen minutes to spare, on buses, subways, in dressing rooms, in drugstores, at times in the waiting room of the Children’s Hospital. The manuscript consisted of letter paper, wrapping pa

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Agnes de Mille

Agnes de Mille, September 18, 1905 – October 7, 1993, was an innovative choreographer and dancer. The daughter of William deMille and niece of Cecil B. DeMille, both Hollywood directors, Agnes de Mille’s early aspiration was to be an actress. She turned her attention to dance when her sister began to take lessons, although she did not decide to pursue dance professionally until after college. De Mille faced resistance in pursuing both theater and dance. She was told she was not “pretty enough” to be an actress and not flexible enough to be a classical dancer. However, by growing up on and around Hollywood sets, de Mille developed strong character work and performances, which she later successfully brought into her dance and choreography.

She earned her degree in English from UCLA, and in 1933 moved to London to study with Marie Rambert. While in London, she danced with Rambert’s company, The Ballet Club (later Rambert Ballet) and An