she believes "nobody likes them and they slow everything down." Notable choreographers of dream ballets Agnes de Mille Agnes de Mille had roots in the theater community with her father, William de Mille a Broadway playwright and a Hollywood screenwriter. Her uncle was Cecil B. DeMille, famous for his success as a Hollywood film director. Her family pressured her to pursue a playwriting career for herself, but she wanted to become a ballet dancer. This didn't pan out as she would have liked, in spite of great efforts. She ended up attending UCLA for English and graduated with honors. However, she returned to the stage after moving to New York. She used solo dance recitals as a way to perform, refine her choreographic style, and garnered the interest of fellow theater makers. Agnes de Mille continued on this venture in London for an additional 5 years. In 1940 she helped found American Ballet Theatre back in the United States and choreographed some of their early work. Her big breakthrough, however, came when she choreographed and danced the lead role for "Rodeo" for Ballet Russe de Monte Carlo in 1942. She soon became an in-demand Broadway choreographer after that, working on musicals for stage and film for the next thirty years. Michael Kidd Michael Kidd grew up in New York City in the early 1900s. He started dancing in high school and while he started to pursue a college career in chemical engineering, he soon decided to become a ballet dancer instead. He joined American Ballet Theatre in 1937 and choreographed his first piece, On Stage!, in 1945. After getting a taste for choreography, he soon moved to Broadway and after gaining accolades in the form of Tonys for his choreography in Finian's Rainbow and Guys and Dolls, he became a popular Hollywood choreographer as well. Eventually Kidd added "Broadway director" to his list of accomplishments. His achievements include five Tonys for choreography and an Honorary Academy Award, which he received in 1997. References Notes Musical theatre Concert dance