Mark Morris
Mark Morris is one of America’s star dance choreographers and innovators. His work cuts across ballet and modern dance, and he has directed opera productions for some of the best houses in the world. Born in Seattle in 1956, Morris studied Balkan folk dance, flamenco, and ballet before moving to New York City. In 1980, Morris gathered a group of friends to put on a show of his own choreography and called them the Mark Morris Dance Group. His work became quickly noted for its athleticism, theatricality, and conviction. In 1998, he was invited to become the Director of Dance, and have his group as the resident company, at Belgium’s Théâtre Royal de la Monnaie where his company resided for three years. They returned to the United States in 1991 as one of the world’s leading dance companies, performing across the U.S. and at major international festivals. He is noted for his devotion to live music, a feature of every performance since 1996. In 2001, he opened the Mark Morris Dance Center in Brooklyn, NY, the company’s first permanent headquarters in the US and now also a major resource for the community. Morris continues to create new works with his company, as well as in collaboration with other well-known artists such as cellist Yo-Yo Ma, composer John Adams and the jazz trio, The Bad Plus.
