Agnes de Mille suggested a cowboy ballet to the reluctant Ballet Russe. She said, I dug in my heels and said I wanted the best American composer for the music, Aaron Copland. Rodeo was an enormous success from the start. De Mille said, I gave the performance of my life and got twenty-two curtain calls. Copland particularly enjoyed conducting the ballet and the orchestra suite he drew from it, the Four Dance Episodes. Rodeo incorporates several American folk songs and dance tunes.