Agnes De Mille

Awestruck by a performance of the great Anna Pavlova, Agnes de Mille resolved to become a dancer. Other members of her family were established in the theater -- her father a respected playwright, her uncle a legend in film. But the de Mille name, though impressive, was useless in the world of dance. When she finally did begin lessons in ballet, she found she was older than the others and lacked a ballerina's figure. But she persevered, crossing the globe for fourteen years to realize her dream. When her breakthrough came at last, it was through choreography. She combined classical ballet with American folk culture in the ground-breaking Rodeo. With the success of Rodeo, de Mille became the queen of Broadway, choreographing such hits as Oklahoma!, Carousel, Brigadoon, and Gentlemen Prefer Blondes. She is honored for her work as a revolutionary choreographer and a performer's advocate. "I want one word on my tombstone," she once said -- "dancer." Book jacket.Hasday, Judy L. is the author of 'Agnes De Mille', published 2003 under ISBN 9780791079515 and ISBN 0791079511.