MSP 156: Remembering Agnes De Mille with Elizabeth Ferrell and Jenna Rae Herrera

Movers & Shapers: A Dance Podcast

Remembering Agnes De Mille with Elizabeth Ferrell and Jenna Rae Herrera

Today’s episode is a special one, where we look back and remember world-renowned dancer, choreographer, writer, lecturer, and director, Agnes De Mille. Agnes had a successful, yet tempestuous, career that spanned almost 70 years through the world of 20th-century American theater and ballet. We take a look at her through the eyes of Elizabeth Ferrell, formerly a member of the American Ballet Theater, and Jenna Rae Herrera, a principal artist with Ballet West. We hear their recollections of working with De Mille in the studio and performing her work, and we listen to their insights about how the course of American dance was forever changed by her. Stay tuned for a lively conversation about Agnes De Mille and her long-lasting impact; creating strong-willed American female roles. Enjoy!

Key Points From This Episode:

· Beth shares a short (but detailed) biography of Agnes De Mille; Agnes in a nutshell.

· More about Beth, her background, and how she became part of De Mille’s work.

· Beth tells listeners about De Mille’s personality (both in the studio and on stage).

· Jenna talks about her background in dance and career at Ballet West.

· Jenna tells us about learning her role in Rodeo and how it helped her grow as an artist.

· The process of learning the Rodeo material (and hearing the narrative from Agnes herself).

· Jenna shares her experience learning work that was made decades ago (and translating it to her body and the company).

· We hear Beth’s experience doing De Mille’s work, both the physical experience and the learning process.

· Jenna and Beth reminisce about their time performing The Cow Girl in the Rodeo ballet.

· Why Rodeo was set on ballet companies (as opposed to other genres of dance).

· Their thoughts on why De Mille’s work has become timeless and why it’s still being performed today.

“She was really ahead of her time, there’s still a real push to nurture and push female choreographers and women’s voices [today] — and here she is in the 1940s choosing her own music, dancers, costumes, set designs, and was calling the shots.” — Elizabeth Ferrell

Former member of American Ballet Theatre, Elizabeth Ferrell emerged as a major interpreter of the works of Agnes de Mille, having performed leading roles in De Mille’s Rodeo, 3 Virgins and a Devil, The Informer, and Brigadoon.

Jenna Rae Herrera is a Principal Artist with Ballet West in Salt Lake City and made her debut last year as The Cowgirl in Agnes de Mille’s Rodeo.

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More info links from this episode: Movers & Shapers