Agnes de Mille

Telling Stories in Broadway Dance

Kara Anne Gardner (Owner, Associate Dean of Faculty, Minerva Project)

$127.95

Hardback

Not in-store but you can order this
How long will it take?

Availability Information

We source books from suppliers in Australia and overseas. For books we don't currently have in stock, the time it takes to get them from our suppliers can vary widely - from a few days to a few months - so we check each book with each supplier to determine the expected time it will take to be supplied to us.

We then advise you accordingly. If the time taken to get any book is too long for you, you can let us know and we will cancel or adjust your order, and refund as required.

To find out the anticipated arrival time for specific items prior to ordering, please contact us by phone or email:

Phone +61 2 9264 3111, or 1800 4 BOOKS (1800 4 26657) if outside Sydney:
option 1 Abbey's Bookshop (Crime, History, Science, Kids & more) • info@abbeys.com.au
option 2 Language Book Centre (ESL & Foreign Languages) • language@abbeys.com.au
option 3 Galaxy Bookshop (Sci-fi, Fantasy, Romance, Graphic Novels) • sf@galaxybooks.com.au

QTY:

English

Oxford University Press Inc
01 September 2016

Dance; Ballet; Musicals

Series: Broadway Legacies

This book explores the Broadway legacy of choreographer Agnes de Mille, from the 1940s through the 1960s. Six musicals are discussed in depth - Oklahoma!, One Touch of Venus, Bloomer Girl, Carousel, Brigadoon, and Allegro. Oklahoma!, Carousel, and Brigadoon were de Mille's most influential and lucrative Broadway works. The other three shows exemplify aspects of her legacy that have not been fully examined, including the impact of her ideas on some of the composers with whom she worked; her ability to incorporate a previously conceived work into the context of a Broadway show; and her trailblazing foray into the role of choreographer/director. Each chapter emphasizes de Mille's unique contributions to the original productions. Several themes emerge in looking closely at de Mille's Broadway repertoire. Character development remained at the heart of her theatrical work work. She often took minor characters, represented with minimal or no dialogue, and fleshed out their stories. These stories added a layer of meaning that resulted in more complex productions. Sometimes, de Mille's stories were different from the stories her collaborators wanted to tell, which caused many conflicts. Because her unique ideas often got woven into the fabric of her musicals, de Mille saw her choreography as an authorship. She felt she should be given the same rights as the librettist and the composer. De Mille's work as an activist is an aspect of her legacy that has largely been overlooked. She contributed to revisions in dance copyright law and was a founding member of the Stage Directors and Choreographers Society, a theatrical union that protects the rights of directors and choreographers. Her contention that choreographers are authors who have their own stories to tell offers a new way of understanding the Broadway musical.

By: Kara Anne Gardner (Owner Associate Dean of Faculty Minerva Project)
Imprint: Oxford University Press Inc
Country of Publication: United States
Dimensions: Height: 160mm, Width: 239mm, Spine: 20mm
Weight: 1g
ISBN: 9780199733682
ISBN 10: 0199733686
Series: Broadway Legacies
Pages: 264
Publication Date: 01 September 2016
Audience: General/trade , ELT Advanced
Format: Hardback
Publisher's Status: Active

Kara Gardner has spent two decades writing, teaching, and leading innovative programs in higher education. She completed a Ph.D. in music and humanities and a postdoctoral fellowship at Stanford University. She led classes on popular music, music of the Americas, music and gender, and dance history at the University of San Francisco and the San Francisco Conservatory of Music. In 2013 she joined the founding team for Minerva, a new university created to equip students with adaptable skills using an innovative curriculum and immersive global travel. As the owner of Kara Gardner, Learning consultant, she designs meaningful and engaging learning experiences for students and professionals.

Reviews for Agnes de Mille: Telling Stories in Broadway Dance

Exhibiting meticulous scholarship built upon the examination of previously untapped source materials, Kara Gardner's new study offers genuinely groundbreaking research and keen insights. Consequently, our understanding of de Mille's innovative contributions can now be seen in an entirely new light. Written in a refreshingly lucid manner, Gardner's book will surely appeal not only to scholars but also to those general readers interested in Broadway's evolution. Charles M. Joseph, Professor Emeritus, Department of Music, Skidmore College