Why was the development of the Dream Ballet by choreographer Agnes De Mille

important for dance and musical theatre? Can you name any other musical theatre
shows that you think incorporated dance and dancing in an innovative way?

The American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language (1969 edition) defines Musical Comedy as
“a play in which dialogue is interspersed with songs and dances, usually based upon a rather sketchy
plot” (Borroff 1984:101). So is the genre of musical theatre which we have grown to love today,
depicted both on stage and on film, is an innovative amalgamation of dance, singing, music and
drama.

There have been many theories on where and when musical theatre actually originated from,
however the first production that is known to conform to the modern notion of a musical, is The
Black Crook which was produced in New York in 1866. (Borroff 1984:103).

One of the greatest innovations to be born into musical theatre was the concept of a Dream Ballet,
and this was famously adopted by American choreographer Agnes De Mille. A dream ballet is
defined as a moment in a musical production where there is a break in dialogue and so the plot
continues through movement. This is not to be confused by a dance break which is usually found in
the middle of a song; for example “Too Darn Hot” from Kiss Me Kate!. The dream ballet usually
reflects the themes of the musical and is performed by well trained dancers rather than the actors.

The function of Dream ballet sections in a production aim to clarify, foreshadow and add symbolism
to the plot. It also serves as a tool for progressing the plot of the story outside the continuity of the
musical. Apart from this however, dream ballets serve as an exhibition of virtuosity which leave the
audience in awe of dancing techniques and elaborate staging. It is an opportunity for
choreographers to write extravagant dance numbers executed by professional dancers, as it would
not be feasible for actors to sing and dance in this manner simultaneously.

Oklahoma! (1943) saw one of the first examples of a dream ballet. This musical was choreographed
by Agnes de Mille. During this production, the first time we see the protagonists Laurey and Curly
have a romantic moment is in the dream ballet during the song entitled ‘Laurey Makes Up Her
Mind’. Likewise, we see another dream ballet in Carousel (1945) during the song entitled ‘Billy Goes
on a Journey’, and during ‘Jellicle Ball’ in the musical Cats (1981).

Dream ballets became increasingly popular in the twentieth century. It allowed the writers to forgo
the laws of reality and create imaginative and dream like plot arcs that would otherwise be
unrealistic.

Dream ballet wasn’t the only innovative tool used for dance during the musical theatre era. Singin in
the Rain (1952) starring Gene Kelly and Donald O’Connor comprised within it choreography with
very creative use of props and novel movement. During ‘Moses Supposes’ for instance, the two
protagonists make clever use of the furnishings within a rather dull room during their tap dance.
They twirl the curtains around them, they climb upon the desk and do an impressive tap dance
completely in unison, showing off their elaborate footwork. They execute tap work while sitting
down on a chair for a moment. Within the same musical, we see Gene Kelly’s character of Don
Lockwood dancing in the water during the song entitled ‘Singin in the Rain’. After he shares his first
kiss with the lady he admires, he engages in a euphoric tap dance in the rain with his umbrella. He
climbs up onto lamp posts, and incorporates movements which help him kick up the water from the
street. He spins his umbrella round as he moves, uses it as a cane, makes clever use of the pavement
step, and also takes the resistance of the water into account as he kicks his legs up. Kelly believed
that that props must give the impression of being part of an environment, rather being labelled and
appearing specifically as props (Feuer 1980:3). In the plot, the props where not objects placed there
for the dancers to use, rather, they are part of their immediate environment which they have made
innovative use of.

Musical theatre features an array of innovative choreography which adopt clever prop and stage
use. Stage designers and choreographers continually work in conjunction in order to find newer
ways of utilizing the stage in order to offer a spectacle to the audience, thriving to bring them in awe
of the performance.

References
Borroff, E. (1984). Origin of Species: Conflicting Views of American Musical Theater History. In E.
Borroff, Origin of Species: Conflicting Views of American Musical Theater History (pp. 101-
112). University of Illinois Press.

Feuer, J. (1980). Hollywood Musicals Mass Art ans Folk Art. JUMP CUT: A Review of Contemporary
Media , 23-25.

Palfy, B. (2012). Agnes De Mille (1905-1993). Dance Heritage Coalition , 3.