Women in the Arts Sarah Bernhardt Coco Chanel Agnes de Mille Dorothea Lange Nina Simone Virginia Woolf in the ARTS Agnes de Mille He who neglects the arts when he is young has lost the past and is dead to the future. —Sophocles, Fragments in the ARTS Agnes de Mille Judy L. Hasday, Ed.M. Introduction by Congresswoman Betty McCollum Minnesota, Fourth District Member, National Council on the Arts To Elyse Nicole Cohen,the Girldancer who dances her own path— Always Believe,Dream,Embrace life. And remember,I love you— Aunt Judy CHELSEA HOUSE PUBLISHERS VP,NEWPRODUCTDEVELOPMENT Sally Cheney DIRECTOROFPRODUCTION Kim Shinners CREATIVEMANAGERTakeshi Takahashi MANUFACTURINGMANAGER Diann Grasse Staff for AGNES DE MILLE EDITORPatrick M.N.Stone PRODUCTIONEDITORMegan Emery PHOTOEDITORSarah Bloom SERIES&COVERDESIGNERTerry Mallon LAYOUT21st Century Publishing and Communications,Inc. ©2004 by Chelsea House Publishers, asubsidiary ofHaights Cross Communications. Allrights reserved.Printed and bound in the United States ofAmerica. www.chelseahouse.com First Printing 1 3 5 7 9 8 6 4 2 Library ofCongress Cataloging-in-Publication Data Hasday,Judy L.,1957– Agnes de Mille/by Judy Hasday. p.cm.—(Women in the arts) Includes index. Contents:Rodeo comes to broadway—A prominent family tree— Transformed by a ballerina—The long search for success begins—No one dances in America—Crisscrossing the Atlantic—Breakthrough with an American ballet—A life and career complete. ISBN 0-7910-7457-9 1.DeMille,Agnes.2.Dancers—United States—Biography—Juvenile literature.3.Choreographers—United States—Biography—Juvenile literature.[1.De Mille,Agnes.2.Dancers.3.Choreographers.4.Women— Biography.] I.Title.II.Series. GV1785.D36H37 2003 792.8'092—dc21 2003014168 Table of Contents Introduction Congresswoman Betty McCollum 8 1. Rodeo Comes to Broadway 12 2. De Mille’s Illustrious Background 26 1905–1914 3. Transformed by a Ballerina 40 1914–1919 4. The Long Search for Success 52 1919–1927 5. No One Dances in America 64 1927–1932 6. Crisscrossing the Atlantic 82 1932–1934 7. Breakthrough with an American Ballet 94 1934–1942 8. A Life and Career Complete 110 1942–1954 9. Expanding Her Craft 124 1954–1993 Chronology 136 Works by Agnes de Mille 140 Bibliography 142 Further Reading 143 Index 144 Introduction Congresswoman Betty McCollum Minnesota, Fourth District Member, National Council on the Arts I am honored to introduce WOMEN IN THE ARTS, a continuing series ofbooks about courageous,talented women whose work has changed the way we think about art and society. The women highlighted in this series were persistent, successful, and at times controversial.They were unafraid to ask questions or challenge social norms while pursuing their work. They overcame barriers that included discrimination,prejudice,and poverty. The energy, creativity, and perseverance of these strong women changed our world forever. Art plays a critical role in all our lives,in every culture,and especially in the education of young people.Art can be serious, beautiful, functional, provocative, spiritual, informative, and illuminating.Forallofthe women in this series,their respective forms of artistic expression were a creative exploration and their professional calling.Their lives and their work transformed the world’sperception ofa woman’s role in society. In reading this series, I was struck by common themes evident in these women’s lives that can provide valuable lessons for today’s young women. One volume tells the story ofCoco Chanel,the first fashion designer to create clothing for women that was both attractive and utile. Chanel was one of the first women to run a large, successful business in the fashion industry. Today, it is hard to imagine the controversy Chanel stirred up simply by making women’s clothing beautiful,comfortable,and practical. Chanel understood that women wanted a sense of style and professionalism in their fashion,as men had in theirs. Chanel’s extraordinary success demonstrates that we should not be afraid to be controversial.Even today,women 8 of all ages worry far too much about stepping on toes or questioning authority.To make change,in our own lives or in our community, we need to stand up and speak out for our beliefs.The women of this series often defied convention and ruffled some feathers, but they never stopped. Nina Simone sang beautifully,but she also spoke out against the injustice of racism,regardless ofhow it affected her career. It is equally important for us women to ask ourselves, “What do I want from my life?”We all struggle to answer this deceptively simple question. It takes courage to answer it honestly,but it takes far more courage to answer the question and then act on that answer. For example, Agnes de Mille realized she had “nothing to lose by being direct.”She stuck to her vision for Rodeo, insisted on the set and composer she envisioned, and eventually produced her ballet—the way she wanted to.She believed in her vision,and the result was a great success.Dorothea Lange,having decided she wanted to become a photographer,asked for photography jobs,even though she had no experience and it was a profession that few women pursued. In our society,we expect that all people should be treated with respect and dignity, but this has not always been true. Nina Simone faced discrimination and overcame social norms that promoted racial injustice. She confronted prejudice and disrespect directly, sometimes refusing to perform when an audience was unruly or rude.One evening,when she was only eleven years old, she even delayed her performance until her own parents were allowed to sit in the front row—seats that they had been asked to vacate for white people. Her demand forrespecttook courage. 9