RODEO (Scene I)
or
 The Courting at Burnt Ranch

Choreography by Agnes de Mille
Music by Aaron Copland†
Bluegrass Arrangement by Gabriel Witcher
Stage Design by Beowulf Boritt
Costume Design by Oana Botez
Lighting Design by Yi-Chung Chen
Staged by Diana Gonzalez
Tap Solo Choreography by Dirk Lumbard

Rodeo was first performed by the Ballet Russe de Monte Carlo on October 16, 1942 at the old Metropolitan Opera House in New York City.

“This is not an epic, nor the story of pioneer conquest. It builds no empires. It is a pastorale, a lyric joke. But one must be always conscious of the enormous land on which these people live and their proud loneliness. The action takes place on a Saturday afternoon and evening on a ranch in the southwest.” – Agnes de Mille, from her original Rodeo scenario

Scene I
Rodeo: Saturday Afternoon – The Corral

The Cowgirl: Laurel Dalley Smith
The Champion Roper: Richard Villaverde
The Head Wrangler: Alessio Crognale-Roberts
The Ranch Owner’s Daughter: Leslie Andrea Williams
Her Eastern Friends from Kansas City:
So Young An, Marzia Memoli, Anne Souder
Square Dance Caller: Leslie Andrea Williams
Cowhands:
James Anthony, Zachary Jeppsen, Lloyd Knight, Jacob Larsen, Antonio Leone, Matthew Spangler
Womenfolk:
Ane Arrieta, Meagan King, Devin Loh

This production was made possible by the Martha Graham Dance Company and was presented with the cooperation of The De Mille Working Group, Anderson Ferrell, Director.

This production of Rodeo was commissioned by Tee Scatuorchio and Michael Becker. The production was also made possible with significant co-commission support from the Annenberg Foundation, The Younes and Soraya Nazarian Center for the Performing Arts and the California State University of Northridge, and the 92nd Street Y, as part of 92NY’s 150th anniversary celebration, in honor and continued support of Martha Graham’s rich 92NY legacy.

†Rodeo by Aaron Copland © 1942 The Aaron Copland Fund for Music, Inc. Copyright renewed. This arrangement © 2023 The Aaron Copland Fund for Music, Inc. By permission of Boosey & Hawkes, Sole Licensee.