directed by
Richard Hess

musical direction
Roger Grodsky

guest choreographer
Gemze De Lapp

November 2004

GEMZE DE LAPPE

Gemze de Lappe has enjoyed a long and successful career as a professional dancer, director and teacher, from ballet to Broadway. For more than 50 years, de Lappe has been associated with legendary choreographer Agnes de Mille. Born in Portsmouth, Virginia, she trained with the Mikhail Fokine Ballet and the Isadora Duncan School under Irma Duncan. While still a young woman, she became part of the Agnes de Mille Dance Theatre Company and was praised by de Mille as one of the finest interpreters of her work. On Broadway, de Lappe was the premier dancer in Brigadoon,  Okla-homa!, Carousel and Paint Your Wagon, for which she received the prestigious Donaldson Award. In 1951 she appeared in the original Broadway production of The King and I playing Simon Legree in the Jerome Robbins ballet, "The Small House of Uncle Thomas." In television and film she worked as a dancer and choreographer for the highly acclaimed revivals of Finian's Rainbow, South Pacific and The Unsinkable Molly Brown. In 1955 she performed with Shirley Jones in a European tour of Oklahoma! and in 1956 she danced in the film version of The King and I starring Yul Brynner. She has danced with the American Ballet Theatre in leading roles, including Lizzie Borden in Fall River Legend, Gala Performance, Billy the Kid and Fancy Free. She has since gone on to stage de Mille repertoire internationally (including revivals of Oklahoma!, Carousel and Brigadoon), reconstruct de Mille's ballets and assist in the writing of de Mille's biography.