[4] She began studying dance with Eve Benson and Isadora Moldovan a few miles northwest in Medford, Oregon, as a girl.
[7] After graduating from Lincoln High School in 1937, she joined one of Christensen's dancing groups in San Francisco in Northern California.
Reed worked with choreographers Agnes de Mille, George Balanchine, Michael Kidd, and Antony Tudor, touring North America.
[11] Reed was cast by Balanchine in Neo-Classical ballets, such as Symphony in C and Serenade, and created the final act of Bourrée Fantasque for her.
[6] She also had roles in Robbins' The Pied Piper, The Unicorn and The Manticore from John Butler,[7] and Tally-Ho, Undertow, Dim Lustre, Waltz Academy, Pillar of Fire, Gala Performance, Graduation Ball, Mademoiselle Angot, Blue Beard, Pas de Quatre, Three Virgins and a Devil, Judgment of Paris,[5] Ivesiana and Western Symphony.
Reed was a United States Cultural Exchange Programs consultant recommending companies to represent American dance abroad.
[6] Encyclopædia Britannica wrote that she was noted for "her charm, vivacity, and flair for comedy" and not solely on her skill,[1] and in her entry in The Oregon Encyclopedia, Martha Ullman West said Reed's "openness to new ideas, her pioneer work ethic, and her ability to reinvent herself in a variety of roles made her an ideal instrument for the choreographic creators of American ballet.