Dance to the Piper

by Agnes de Mille

Book Overview

Born into a family of successful playwrights and producers, Agnes de Mille was determined to be an actress. Then one day she witnessed the Russian ballet dancer Anna Pavlova, and her life was altered... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0862873789
• ISBN13: 9780862873783
• Release Date: January 1987
• Publisher: Columbus Books
• Length: 336 Pages
• Weight: 0.95 lbs.

Customer Reviews

Compelling autobiography

I am VERY taken with the extensive autobiographical writings of choreographer and dancer Agnes de Mille (1905-1993). I read them all and recommend them highly, though if you're not interested in ballet or modern dance you may find them less interesting (my wife read one or two only). Titles (in chronological order) are: Dance to the Piper; And Promenade Home; Speak to Me, Dance with Me; Where the Wings Grow; and Reprieve, written after her stroke. She also wrote Lizzie Borden: A Dance of Death, about the Lizzie Borden case and de Mille's ballet, Fall River Legend, and some other books.This book in particular is probably the most interesting of de Mille's volumes for the general reader. It tells the story of her growing up in Hollywood, with some fascinating looks at her uncle C. B. de Mille and early film making, and her difficult struggle to get into dance. In addition, her writing is very charming and professional. You'll probably like this book even if you have no interest in dance.

REPRINT THIS BOOK!

I read this book years ago as well as all the other "Agnes" books and am sorry to find that it is completely unavailable. Ms. de Mille writes about dance in such a way that anyone can appreciate and understand the evolution and importance of dance in America. She gives a frontier spirit to her story of life in Hollywood in the twenties, and of her struggles to become a dancer and choreographer. I went to a lecture she gave in 1978 at the "Y" in Philadelphia and, even after two strokes, this courageous lady managed to keep an entire audience in thrall with her enthusiasm for dance and America...they don't make 'em like they used to