Choreographers are no more immortal than anyone else. So, wisely, single-choreographer modern dance companies have increasingly opted to address the issue of planning for the future—a future without their founders—before the crisis comes. The solutions have been many. The Merce Cunningham Dance Company decided to shut down but preserve a Trust, which licenses his dances […]

When Beatlemania swept through the U.S. in the 1960s, Mark Morris was one of millions of young Americans who fell head over heels for the revolutionary group. “I was not immune,” the choreographer says. “My sisters were mad about The Beatles and so was I. At age 12 I had a crush on Paul, of […]

What should you eat before a performance? It can be challenging to find foods that give you the right amount of energy without weighing you down. But what’s perfect for one person won’t necessarily work for another. Every dancer has to experiment to find their own ideal pre-performance menu. Lauren Grant Dancer, Mark Morris Dance […]

Martorana in Morris’ Crosswalk. Photo by Stephanie Berger, courtesy MMDG. Stacy Martorana began running as a way to escape the pressures of dance. As a freshman ballet major at the University of North Carolina School of the Arts, she went from being one of the strongest dancers in her studio to one of the least […]

The Music Man Mark Morris Dance Group is plenty busy this month, headlining Luminato, Toronto’s annual arts festival, with Morris’ masterwork L’Allegro, il Penseroso ed il Moderato in its Canadian premiere June 21–23. Morris directs this year’s Ojai Music Festival (the first choreographer to do so), where his dancers will perform; and at Ojai North!, […]