Ann Marie DeAngelo
Encyclopedia
Ann Marie DeAngelo is an American choreographer, director, teacher, and former dancer. She was leading ballerina
with the Joffrey Ballet
, where she later served as associate director at the time of the company's move to Chicago, Illinois in 1995. DeAngelo was the founding artistic director of Mexico's Ballet de Monterrey, and served as artistic director of Ballet Omaha during the 1990s. She founded of her own experimental troupe in the late 1980s called Ballet D’Angelo, creating several full-evening productions, which toured extensively in Europe.
She is currently the Director of DeAngelo Productions, an umbrella company for creating and producing dance related projects. She also works as nationally and internationally as a director, choreographer, and teacher.
. Her mother took her to ballet class at age 3½ to overcome her fear of people before she started kindergarten. After years of training in Burbank, California with Frederika Mohr and later at San Francisco Ballet School she landed her first job with the San Francisco Opera
Ballet. She was an apprentice before joining the Joffrey Ballet
in 1973. She worked with the Joffrey for 10 years, performing in works such as Viva Vivaldi, The Relativity of Icares in a role created on her, and several other works by Gerald Arpino
; Taming of the Shrew by John Cranko
; the cowgirl in Pas des Deesses by Robert Joffrey
; a reconstruction of La Vivandiere by Arthur Saint-Léon
; As Time Goes By, Deuce Coupe II and Cacklin’ Hen by Twyla Tharp
; and works by Frederick Ashton
, George Balanchine
, Agnes DeMille, William Forsythe, Kurt Josse, Antony Tudor
, and others.
Throughout her performing career she worked internationally as a guest artist with various dance companies, festivals and independent tours. She competed in the International Ballet Competition
in Varna
, Bulgaria
(1976) where she received a special award for technical excellence, and was the featured dancer in a TV special on CBS
about the competition. At the competition, she met the legendary ballerina Alicia Alonso
, and was invited to perform at her International Ballet Festival in Havanna, Cuba. She later created works on the company. In 1980 she was featured in a dance film about Anna Pavlova called Pavlova: A Tribute to the Legendary Ballerina (1982). In 1989 she performed on Sesame Street
with Sketer Rabbit in a duet created by Toni Basil
called Stop - Dance.
(later staged for Ballet Trocadero in 1990). She soon began to explore her choreographic aesthetic of mixing dance styles and blending forms. She choreographed Autumn Baachanal for the film Pavlova: A Tribute to the Legendary Ballerina, performing with Ron Reagan
, Jr.
In 1990 Ms. DeAngelo created Out of Silence with music by Yanni
for the National Ballet of Cuba; and also a pas de trois called Lilith featuring Lorena Feijoo. Both these works later were integrated into a piece for Ballet de Monterrey called Paradiso (1991). Hip Hop
pioneer Mr. Wiggles
was featured in that work in a leading role, the first time a street dance
r had been integrated into a traditional ballet.
Ms. DeAngelo created several works for Ballet de Monterrey, including Mademoiselle de M, a 35-minute work based on Theophile's Mademoiselle de Maupin with music by Franz Liszt
and Enigma; Le Papillon, to music of Jacques Offenbach
; and a re-staging of The Nutcracker
.
In 2003, Ms. DeAngelo collaborated with composer Conni Ellisor to bring the Bell Witch legend to life in The Bell Witch for Nashville Ballet, with an original score by Ellisor and 3-D scenic design by Gerald Marks.
In 2007 Ms. DeAngelo began a work-in-development called "IN THE MIX!" The piece included ballet dancers, hip hop and tap dance
artists, Cirque du Soleil
veterans, gymnastics, and cheerleading in a cross-genre exploration of movement in many forms.
Ballet de Monterrey - As founding Artistic Director of Ballet de Monterrey, DeAngelo worked with mentor Alicia Alonso
who allowed her to use several Cuban dancers, teachers and ballet masters. DeAngelo also used American dancers and imported unique talent such as US Olympic team rhythmic gymnast Charlene Edwards and "Mr. Wiggles" - introducing a cross-pollination of work to Mexico. DeAngelo created a classical yet innovative "company of the Americas". She received the Margot Fonteyn
Award for special artistic achievement for her contributions.
Ballet Omaha - During her season as Artistic Director of Ballet Omaha she produced works by George Balanchine
, Ann Carlson
, Lew Christensen
, Laura Dean
, Charles Moulton, and others.
as part of the Rodgers Centenary celebration in 2002.
Since 2004 DeAngelo has staged the annual gala for Career Transition For Dancers
. Those shows include: Dancing on Air, That's Entertainment, One World, Dance Rocks!, America Dances!, 25th Anniversary, and A Halloween Thriller. In 2010 she commissioned Marvin Hamlisch
to write a new song called "I'm Really Dancing" with lyrics by Rupert Holmes
for that year's gala.
In 2009 she was director of the show "Thank You, Gregory - A Tribute to Legends of Tap" that opened at the Annenberg Center for the Performing Arts
in Philadelphia, featuring Maurice Hines
and Jason Samuels Smith
.
She has taught for numerous dance companies and universities, as well as workshops to non-dancers at resorts and spas.
Ballerina
A ballerina is a title used to describe a principal female professional ballet dancer in a large company; the male equivalent to this title is danseur or ballerino...
with the Joffrey Ballet
Joffrey Ballet
The Joffrey Ballet is a dance company in Chicago, Illinois, founded in 1956. From 1995 to 2004, the company was known as The Joffrey Ballet of Chicago. The company regularly performs classical ballets including Romeo & Juliet and The Nutcracker, while balancing those classics with pioneering modern...
, where she later served as associate director at the time of the company's move to Chicago, Illinois in 1995. DeAngelo was the founding artistic director of Mexico's Ballet de Monterrey, and served as artistic director of Ballet Omaha during the 1990s. She founded of her own experimental troupe in the late 1980s called Ballet D’Angelo, creating several full-evening productions, which toured extensively in Europe.
She is currently the Director of DeAngelo Productions, an umbrella company for creating and producing dance related projects. She also works as nationally and internationally as a director, choreographer, and teacher.
Career as a Dancer
DeAngelo was born in Pennsylvania and grew up in Glendale, CaliforniaGlendale, California
Glendale is a city in Los Angeles County, California, United States. As of the 2010 Census, the city population is 191,719, down from 194,973 at the 2000 census. making it the third largest city in Los Angeles County and the 22nd largest city in the state of California...
. Her mother took her to ballet class at age 3½ to overcome her fear of people before she started kindergarten. After years of training in Burbank, California with Frederika Mohr and later at San Francisco Ballet School she landed her first job with the San Francisco Opera
San Francisco Opera
San Francisco Opera is an American opera company, based in San Francisco, California.It was founded in 1923 by Gaetano Merola and is the second largest opera company in North America...
Ballet. She was an apprentice before joining the Joffrey Ballet
Joffrey Ballet
The Joffrey Ballet is a dance company in Chicago, Illinois, founded in 1956. From 1995 to 2004, the company was known as The Joffrey Ballet of Chicago. The company regularly performs classical ballets including Romeo & Juliet and The Nutcracker, while balancing those classics with pioneering modern...
in 1973. She worked with the Joffrey for 10 years, performing in works such as Viva Vivaldi, The Relativity of Icares in a role created on her, and several other works by Gerald Arpino
Gerald Arpino
Gerald Arpino was an American dancer and choreographer. He was the artistic director and co-founder of The Joffrey Ballet.-Life and career:...
; Taming of the Shrew by John Cranko
John Cranko
John Cyril Cranko was a choreographer with the Sadler's Wells Ballet and the Stuttgart Ballet....
; the cowgirl in Pas des Deesses by Robert Joffrey
Robert Joffrey
Robert Joffrey was an American dancer, teacher, producer and choreographer, known for his highly imaginative modern ballets...
; a reconstruction of La Vivandiere by Arthur Saint-Léon
Arthur Saint-Leon
Arthur Saint-Léon was the Maître de Ballet of St. Petersburg Imperial Ballet from 1859 until 1869 and is famous for creating the choreography of the ballet Coppélia.-Biography:...
; As Time Goes By, Deuce Coupe II and Cacklin’ Hen by Twyla Tharp
Twyla Tharp
Twyla Tharp is an American dancer and choreographer, who lives and works in New York City.-Early years:Tharp was born in 1941 on a farm in Portland, Indiana, and was named after Twila Thornburg, the "Pig Princess" of the 89th Annual Muncie Fair in Indiana.she spend hours working on it to help her...
; and works by Frederick Ashton
Frederick Ashton
Sir Frederick William Mallandaine Ashton OM, CH, CBE was a leading international dancer and choreographer. He is most noted as the founder choreographer of The Royal Ballet in London, but also worked as a director and choreographer of opera, film and theatre revues.-Early life:Ashton was born at...
, George Balanchine
George Balanchine
George Balanchine , born Giorgi Balanchivadze in Saint Petersburg, Russia, to a Georgian father and a Russian mother, was one of the 20th century's most famous choreographers, a developer of ballet in the United States, co-founder and balletmaster of New York City Ballet...
, Agnes DeMille, William Forsythe, Kurt Josse, Antony Tudor
Antony Tudor
Antony Tudor was an English ballet choreographer, teacher and dancer.-Biography:Tudor, born William Cook, discovered dance accidentally. He began dancing professionally with Marie Rambert in 1928, becoming general assistant for her Ballet Club the next year...
, and others.
Throughout her performing career she worked internationally as a guest artist with various dance companies, festivals and independent tours. She competed in the International Ballet Competition
USA International Ballet Competition
The USA International Ballet Competition, or USA IBC, is one of the world's top competitions for ballet. Located in Jackson, Mississippi, this competition is attended by dancers from all over the world to represent their country for bronze, silver, or gold medals in a variety of categories of...
in Varna
Varna
Varna is the largest city and seaside resort on the Bulgarian Black Sea Coast and third-largest in Bulgaria after Sofia and Plovdiv, with a population of 334,870 inhabitants according to Census 2011...
, Bulgaria
Bulgaria
Bulgaria , officially the Republic of Bulgaria , is a parliamentary democracy within a unitary constitutional republic in Southeast Europe. The country borders Romania to the north, Serbia and Macedonia to the west, Greece and Turkey to the south, as well as the Black Sea to the east...
(1976) where she received a special award for technical excellence, and was the featured dancer in a TV special on CBS
CBS
CBS Broadcasting Inc. is a major US commercial broadcasting television network, which started as a radio network. The name is derived from the initials of the network's former name, Columbia Broadcasting System. The network is sometimes referred to as the "Eye Network" in reference to the shape of...
about the competition. At the competition, she met the legendary ballerina Alicia Alonso
Alicia Alonso
Alicia Alonso Martínez is the Cuban prima ballerina assoluta and choreographer. Her company became the Ballet de Cuba in 1955....
, and was invited to perform at her International Ballet Festival in Havanna, Cuba. She later created works on the company. In 1980 she was featured in a dance film about Anna Pavlova called Pavlova: A Tribute to the Legendary Ballerina (1982). In 1989 she performed on Sesame Street
Sesame Street
Sesame Street has undergone significant changes in its history. According to writer Michael Davis, by the mid-1970s the show had become "an American institution". The cast and crew expanded during this time, including the hiring of women in the crew and additional minorities in the cast. The...
with Sketer Rabbit in a duet created by Toni Basil
Toni Basil
Antonia Christina Basilotta , better known by her stage name Toni Basil, is an American singer-songwriter, actress, filmmaker, film director, choreographer, and dancer, best known for her multi-million-selling worldwide #1 hit "Mickey" from 1982.-Early life:Basil was born Antonia Christina...
called Stop - Dance.
Choreography
DeAngelo has choreographed nearly 50 works of dance. She created her first work in 1980, called La Grande Faux Pas. In 1984 she received a Jerome Robbins Foundation grant to create a piece for the Joffrey II called In Kazmidity with music by Léo DelibesLéo Delibes
Clément Philibert Léo Delibes was a French composer of ballets, operas, and other works for the stage...
(later staged for Ballet Trocadero in 1990). She soon began to explore her choreographic aesthetic of mixing dance styles and blending forms. She choreographed Autumn Baachanal for the film Pavlova: A Tribute to the Legendary Ballerina, performing with Ron Reagan
Ron Reagan
Ronald Prescott "Ron" Reagan sometimes known as Ronald Reagan, Jr., is a former talk radio host and chief political analyst for KIRO radio in Seattle until his show was canceled on August 8, 2007...
, Jr.
In 1990 Ms. DeAngelo created Out of Silence with music by Yanni
Yanni
Yanni , born Yiannis Hrysomallis is a Greek self-taught pianist, keyboardist, and composer who has spent most of his life in the United States.He earned Grammy nominations for his 1992 album, Dare to Dream, and the 1993 follow-up, In My Time...
for the National Ballet of Cuba; and also a pas de trois called Lilith featuring Lorena Feijoo. Both these works later were integrated into a piece for Ballet de Monterrey called Paradiso (1991). Hip Hop
Hip hop
Hip hop is a form of musical expression and artistic culture that originated in African-American and Latino communities during the 1970s in New York City, specifically the Bronx. DJ Afrika Bambaataa outlined the four pillars of hip hop culture: MCing, DJing, breaking and graffiti writing...
pioneer Mr. Wiggles
Mr. Wiggles
Steffan "Mr. Wiggles" Clemente is a street dancer, noted for his popping skills. He is a member of the Rock Steady Crew, The Electric Boogaloos, Tribal Click and Zulu Nation. Wiggles has been active as a dancer, actor, choreographer, dance instructor, music producer and graffiti...
was featured in that work in a leading role, the first time a street dance
Street dance
Street dance, more formally known as vernacular dance, is an umbrella term used to describe dance styles that evolved outside of dance studios in any available open space such as streets, dance parties, block parties, parks, school yards, raves, and nightclubs, etc...
r had been integrated into a traditional ballet.
Ms. DeAngelo created several works for Ballet de Monterrey, including Mademoiselle de M, a 35-minute work based on Theophile's Mademoiselle de Maupin with music by Franz Liszt
Franz Liszt
Franz Liszt ; ), was a 19th-century Hungarian composer, pianist, conductor, and teacher.Liszt became renowned in Europe during the nineteenth century for his virtuosic skill as a pianist. He was said by his contemporaries to have been the most technically advanced pianist of his age...
and Enigma; Le Papillon, to music of Jacques Offenbach
Jacques Offenbach
Jacques Offenbach was a Prussian-born French composer, cellist and impresario. He is remembered for his nearly 100 operettas of the 1850s–1870s and his uncompleted opera The Tales of Hoffmann. He was a powerful influence on later composers of the operetta genre, particularly Johann Strauss, Jr....
; and a re-staging of The Nutcracker
The Nutcracker
The Nutcracker is a two-act ballet, originally choreographed by Marius Petipa and Lev Ivanov with a score by Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky. The libretto is adapted from E.T.A. Hoffmann's story "The Nutcracker and the Mouse King". It was given its première at the Mariinsky Theatre in St...
.
In 2003, Ms. DeAngelo collaborated with composer Conni Ellisor to bring the Bell Witch legend to life in The Bell Witch for Nashville Ballet, with an original score by Ellisor and 3-D scenic design by Gerald Marks.
In 2007 Ms. DeAngelo began a work-in-development called "IN THE MIX!" The piece included ballet dancers, hip hop and tap dance
Tap
-Mechanical and electrical:* Tap , a device for controlling the release of a liquid or gas* Tap , part of an electrical device* A cutting tool, part of a tap and die set-Entertainment:* Tap dance...
artists, Cirque du Soleil
Cirque du Soleil
Cirque du Soleil , is a Canadian entertainment company, self-described as a "dramatic mix of circus arts and street entertainment." Based in Montreal, Quebec, Canada, and located in the inner-city area of Saint-Michel, it was founded in Baie-Saint-Paul in 1984 by two former street performers, Guy...
veterans, gymnastics, and cheerleading in a cross-genre exploration of movement in many forms.
Artistic Director
Ballet D'Angelo - Under DeAngelo's direction, Ballet D'Angelo toured extensively in Europe and Cuba from 1984 to 1988. Works included Zeitgiest I and II, The Last of the Best, and Gypsie Band.Ballet de Monterrey - As founding Artistic Director of Ballet de Monterrey, DeAngelo worked with mentor Alicia Alonso
Alicia Alonso
Alicia Alonso Martínez is the Cuban prima ballerina assoluta and choreographer. Her company became the Ballet de Cuba in 1955....
who allowed her to use several Cuban dancers, teachers and ballet masters. DeAngelo also used American dancers and imported unique talent such as US Olympic team rhythmic gymnast Charlene Edwards and "Mr. Wiggles" - introducing a cross-pollination of work to Mexico. DeAngelo created a classical yet innovative "company of the Americas". She received the Margot Fonteyn
Margot Fonteyn
Dame Margot Fonteyn de Arias, DBE , was an English ballerina of the 20th century. She is widely regarded as one of the greatest classical ballet dancers of all time...
Award for special artistic achievement for her contributions.
Ballet Omaha - During her season as Artistic Director of Ballet Omaha she produced works by George Balanchine
George Balanchine
George Balanchine , born Giorgi Balanchivadze in Saint Petersburg, Russia, to a Georgian father and a Russian mother, was one of the 20th century's most famous choreographers, a developer of ballet in the United States, co-founder and balletmaster of New York City Ballet...
, Ann Carlson
Ann Carlson
Ann Carlson is an American dancer, choreographer and performance artist whose work explores contemporary social issues. She has performed through the United States an internationally and has won a number of awards....
, Lew Christensen
Lew Christensen
Lewellyn Farr "Lew" Christensen was a ballet dancer, choreographer and director for many companies. He was largely associated with George Balanchine and the San Francisco Ballet, which he directed from 1952–1984...
, Laura Dean
Laura Dean
Laura Dean is a dancer, choreographer and composer.Dean is the recipient of many awards including the 2008 Samuel H. Scripps American Dance Festival Award for Lifetime Achievement in Dance. She has also received a "Bessie" New York Dance Award for her work with composer Steve Reich...
, Charles Moulton, and others.
Producer/Director and Other Work
DeAngelo has created and staged many special shows and events, including Shall We Dance, a dance tribute to composer Richard RodgersRichard Rodgers
Richard Charles Rodgers was an American composer of music for more than 900 songs and for 43 Broadway musicals. He also composed music for films and television. He is best known for his songwriting partnerships with the lyricists Lorenz Hart and Oscar Hammerstein II...
as part of the Rodgers Centenary celebration in 2002.
Since 2004 DeAngelo has staged the annual gala for Career Transition For Dancers
Career Transition For Dancers
Career Transition For Dancers is a nonprofit organization with offices in New York, Los Angeles and Chicago dedicated to helping dancers establish new careers when they have retired from their performing careers...
. Those shows include: Dancing on Air, That's Entertainment, One World, Dance Rocks!, America Dances!, 25th Anniversary, and A Halloween Thriller. In 2010 she commissioned Marvin Hamlisch
Marvin Hamlisch
Marvin Frederick Hamlisch is an American composer. He is one of only thirteen people to have been awarded Emmys, Grammys, Oscars, and a Tony . He is also one of only two people to EGOT and also win a Pulitzer Prize...
to write a new song called "I'm Really Dancing" with lyrics by Rupert Holmes
Rupert Holmes
Rupert Holmes is an American-British composer, singer-songwriter, musician and author of plays, novels and stories. He is best known for his number one pop hit "Escape " and the song "Him", which reached the number 6 position on the Hot 100 U.S. pop chart in 1980...
for that year's gala.
In 2009 she was director of the show "Thank You, Gregory - A Tribute to Legends of Tap" that opened at the Annenberg Center for the Performing Arts
Annenberg Center for the Performing Arts
The Annenberg Center for the Performing Arts is a theatre, dance and world music venue in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. It helped to popularize the works of composers like Steve Reich and Philip Glass; the Center has also hosted shows by performers ranging from the Jerusalem Symphony Orchestra to...
in Philadelphia, featuring Maurice Hines
Maurice Hines
Maurice Hines is an American actor, director, jazz singer and choreographer.Born in New York City, Hines began his career at the age of five, studying tap dance at the Henry LeTang Dance Studio in Manhattan. LeTang recognized his talent and began choreographing numbers specifically for him and his...
and Jason Samuels Smith
Jason Samuels Smith
Jason Samuels Smith is an American tap dance performer, choreographer, and director.-Biography:Jason Samuels Smith, a native New Yorker, was born on October 4, 1980 to professional performing arts parents Sue Samuels and JoJo Smith...
.
She has taught for numerous dance companies and universities, as well as workshops to non-dancers at resorts and spas.