born Sept. 18, 1905, New York, N.Y., U.S.
died Oct. 7, 1993, New York City
U.S. dancer and choreographer.
She graduated from UCLA, moved back to New York, and soon was touring the U.S. with her own mime-dance concerts (1929–40). In her choreographed works for Ballet Theatre (later American Ballet Theatre ), she made innovative use of American themes, folk dances, and idioms; in Rodeo (1942) she used tap dance for the first time in a ballet. She choreographed many Broadway musicals, including Oklahoma! (1943), Carousel (1945), Brigadoon (1947), and Paint Your Wagon (1951), and she wrote several books on dance and an autobiography.