Mark Morris Dance Group

Mark Morris has long been the “gold standard of creativity ” in contemporary dance, balancing originality with accessibility. His artistic vision is sustained by an admiration for the exquisite beauty of classical music and propelled into the future through a desire to explore the influence of modern culture. The result is a unique partnership between the dancers and the music; drawing thought provoking pictures and colored by just a touch of wit.

About the Company

The Mark Morris Dance Group was formed in 1980 by a group of friends and colleagues, who performed their first show that same year at the Merce Cunningham Studio in New York City. In 1985 the ensemble began a touring program, bringing their unique blend of music and dance to several US cities and introducing themselves as a vibrant entity in the contemporary dance community. As a result of this exposure, in 1986 the company was asked to perform on PBS’s television special Great Performances-Dance in America. That same year it made its European debut in Vienna and performed for the first time at Jacob's Pillow Dance Festival. In 1988 the Mark Morris Dance Group under went a major shift when it relocated to Brussels. It then became the official dance company of the Theatre Royal de la Monnaie, the national opera house of Belgium. 1991 marked the company’s return to the United States as a mature and artistically viable organization. Over the next few years the Mark Morris Dance Group began collaborations with several famous artists including Yo Yo Ma, Mikhail Baryshnikov, and fashion designer Isaac Mizrahi. In addition to these new collaborations, the company also committed to performing solely to live music, making it unique amongst its peers.

Critic's Comments

"V is a life affirming new dance… one of the few great works that modern dance has produced in a decade."-The New York Times

"…there is no other dance company so at one with its choreography and with its music" -Financial Times (U.K)

Evening's Program

Four Mark Morris works with live music:

My Party - a vintage favorite from 1984 that defined Morris as a star. It's a frolicsome, sweetly suggestive piece set to Jean Francaix‘s Trio for Strings in C Major

All Fours - a profoundly moving dance premiered in 2003, which illuminates the density of Bela Bartok’s String Quartet No. 4

Rock of Ages - a sparkling new, small gem set to Franz Schubert's Adagio in E flat Nocturne premiered in October 28, 2004

V - a masterful exploration of each melodic strand of Schumann's Quintet in E-Flat Major for Piano and String, Op. 44, its dancers costumed in blue and green cascading like crystals in a kaleidoscope.

Performances at Northrop

1988, 1992, 1994, 2000, 2005