Major Works

Romeo and Juliet

Agnes was studying and working in London, but would make trips back to the United States for visits and work. On one of her trips home she was asked to choreograph the ball scene in the 1936 film adaptation of Romeo and Juliet. She was very young at this time and had not fully started her career. After completing the work with the film she "commented that the custom at that time of cutting dances to pieces assured short lives for them" ("Biography"). 

Black Ritual

She created this dance for the Ballet Theatre in 1940. The piece was done by all black dancers, and this was the first time a major ballet company produced such a work ("Biography"). The piece was not a huge success, but left a large impact. It was only performed three times and has never been revived (Maher). Though there had been other productions done with all African American dancers, this was the first time a production like this had been done by an all white New York dance company.

Three Virgins and a Devil

http://agnesdemilledances.com/threevirgins.html

Though Black Ritual was not the largest success, de Mille bounced back just one year later with the piece Three Virgins and a Devil. This piece actually first premiered in London in 1934, but she brought it back to the Ballet Theatre in New York in 1941. She was the choreographer and a dancer in this piece. It was revived in 1973 and in 1993 ("Three").

Rodeo

https://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=8PGkJkpK1yU

The following year the Ballet Russe de Monte Carlo asked her to produce a piece for them and she created Rodeo ("Biography"). This is the piece that created her career. De Mille was once again the choreographer and a dancer in the piece. When it premiered in New York in 1942 "she received 22 curtain calls and a standing ovation" ("Agnes"). She used this opportunity to combine dance genres and push the boundaries on traditional ballet. "She choreographed Rodeo as the first ballet to feature American tap dancing and indigenous folk dance, along with classical ballet technique" ("Agnes").

Oklahoma!

See next blog post!