Agnes de Mille and the Female Narrative
Company:
The De Mille Working Group
To honor Agnes de Mille on the 30th Anniversary of her passing, The De Mille Working Group, under the executive directorship of Anderson Ferrell, will present a free public program featuring live performances, panel discussion, and historical film footage, 6:00-7:30 P.M. on Monday, April 3 at the New York Public Library for the Performing Arts, Bruno Walter Auditorium. Moderated by Linda Murray, Curator for the Jerome Robbins Dance Division, and Interim Executive Director of the Library for the Performing Arts, the panel will focus on de Mille’s multi-faceted female characters, exploring the meaning and intent behind the choreographer’s vision.
The program will feature a notable panel of experts including Virginia Johnson, Kathleen Moore, and Elena Zahlmann, all former interpreters of de Mille’s most iconic roles. Diana Byer, Artistic Director Emerita of New York Theatre Ballet and stager of de Mille works, and Diana Gonzalez-Duclert, former rehearsal assistant to de Mille, professor, and associate director and répétiteur of the De Mille Working Group, will round out the panel to discuss the enduring relevance of de Mille’s work.
Live performance excerpts scheduled for “Agnes de Mille and The Female Narrative” include Emma Von Enck and Victor Abreu of New York City Ballet in a solo and pas de deux from de Mille’s choreography of the 1945 musical Carousel, and Elena Zahlmann, NYTB Associate Director, in de Mille’s solo from Debut at the Opera (1927). Performances will be accompanied by New York City Ballet pianist Michael Scales.
Film footage from many of de Mille’s historic works, some never seen publicly, will be shown throughout the program, including excerpts from the film Ballet Class (1929), “Civil War Ballet” from Bloomer Girl (1944, 1956 film), a televised version of Fall River Legend performed by Dance Theatre of Harlem (1989), and a filmed performance of The Informer performed by American Ballet Theatre (1988).
Registration for “Agnes de Mille and the Female Narrative” is required. For more information and reservations, please visit https://www.nypl.org/events/programs/lpa. The New York Public Library for the Performing Arts is located at 40 Lincoln Center Plaza (entrance at 111 Amsterdam Avenue between 64th and 65th Streets) in New York City.
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