Rodeo (film)
"Rodeo" is a ballet choreographed by Agnes de Mille, first performed in 1942 with music by Aaron Copland. The ballet tells the story of a young Cowgirl striving to establish her identity on a ranch, navigating love and rivalry among two male characters, the Roper and the Wrangler. The narrative unfolds through five distinct sections: "Buckaroo Holiday," "Corral Nocturne," "Ranch House Party," "Saturday Night Waltz," and "Hoe-Down." Each section combines lively choreography with Copland's folk-inspired music, creating a vibrant depiction of the American West. The ballet premiered at the Metropolitan Opera House and received acclaim, offering a sense of connection and solace to audiences during World War II. "Rodeo" is notable for its themes of perseverance and female empowerment in a traditionally male-dominated environment, and its music continues to resonate in popular culture. The work is celebrated not only for its artistic contributions but also for encapsulating the spirit of its time.
Rodeo (film)
Identification Ballet about a young girl finding romance in the American West
Creators Composed by Aaron Copland (1900-1990); choreographed by Agnes de Mille (1905-1993)
Date Premiered on October 16, 1942
Commissioned by the Ballet Russe de Monte Carlo for a wartime performance in the fall of 1942, Rodeo represents an American subject by an American dancer and an American composer. This ballet symbolizes the hardworking ethic of the pioneers who lived in the vast spaces of the American West.
Rodeo (pronounced roh-DAY-oh) emerged from a suite of dances performed by Agnes de Mille in 1938 to cowboy songs arranged by Franklin Guion. De Mille’s character was a young girl who sought to find her place on a ranch by riding better than any man. By 1942, de Mille had changed the script to include two men, the Roper and the Wrangler, as love interests for her feisty Cowgirl.
Although a relative unknown in the world of ballet, de Mille accepted a commission from the Ballet Russe de Monte Carlo, one of the premier dance companies in the world, for one of its performances in New York in 1942. The company asked de Mille to create and provide the choreography for a ballet based on an American topic. De Mille did as requested and insisted she dance the lead role while the company was in New York.
De Mille commissioned Aaron Copland to provide music to represent the vast expanses of the West. She knew exactly what she wanted and provided Copland a detailed outline containing the timing, the number of measures, and the mood for each section. Since Copland had only a few months to complete the score for the twenty-five-minute ballet, he incorporated folk tunes including “Sis Joe,” “If He’d Be a Buckaroo,” “I Ride an Old Paint,” and “Bonyparte.”
Rodeo is divided into five sections: “Buckaroo Holiday,” “Corral Nocturne,” “Ranch House Party,” “Saturday Night Waltz,” and “Hoe-Down.” In the opening, “Buckaroo Holiday,” a boisterous overture gives way to a quiet interlude as the curtain rises on some young ladies and cowboys walking about on the stage in preparation for the Rodeo. Faster music with static chords and a wood block represent the heroine, the Cowgirl. A group of men from the ranch approach as Copland uses “Sis Joe.” The Cowgirl decides to get the men’s attention by riding a bronco. Her music is heard again, and then the folk song “If He’d Be a Buckaroo” is played as a three-part round as the Cowgirl is thrown from the bronco. Humiliated, she runs offstage.
“Corral Nocturne” is the quiet movement. De Mille choreographed this as a pas de deux (dance for two) between the Roper and the Cowgirl, yet Copland saw the music as reflecting the Cowgirl’s musings in early evening. This section overlaps with the “Ranch House Party.” De Mille wanted to contrast the quiet sounds of the outdoor night with the semiraucous sounds of the inside party. The familiar-sounding music of the “Ranch House Party” is presented faster, with short and detached (staccato) notes in the upper register of an upright piano. The quiet sounds of night return as the Cowgirl realizes that she is alone under the vast western sky.
“Saturday Night Waltz” presents the folk tune “I Ride an Old Paint.” Copland used an offbeat (syncopated) rhythm with the slow waltz tempo. In this particular scene, the men are called away in the middle of the waltz, leaving the young ladies to flutter around the stage bored. The men return and the dance resumes.
Perhaps the best-known of all the sections is “Hoe-Down.” This music has been used in countless television commercials, primarily by the American Beef Association. The music starts with the brass as all characters come on stage. The Cowgirl enters wearing a dress while the orchestra plays her music from “Buckaroo Holiday.” She stuns the assemblage with her beauty and grace, and with her rejection of the Wrangler for the Roper, her friend from “Corral Nocturne.” The dancing ends with a joyous abandon.
At its premiere at the Metropolitan Opera House in October, 1942, Rodeo received standing ovations. Copland subsequently condensed the music into a well-received orchestral suite for the ages.
Impact
This ballet provided war-weary Americans with a much-needed distraction. It represents the American spirit of taming the wild West, the romance of the quiet hours of evening, and the ritual passage of a young girl finding her way in a man’s world.
Bibliography
Barker, Barbara. “Agnes de Mille, Liberated Expatriate, and the ’American Suite,’ 1938.” Dance Chronicle 19, no. 2 (1996): 113-150.
Copland, Aaron, and Vivian Perlis. Copland 1900 Through 1942. New York: St. Martin’s Press/Marek, 1984.
Pollack, Howard. Aaron Copland: The Life and Work of an Uncommon Man. New York: Henry Holt, 1999.