SARATOGA SPRINGS – Choreographer Mark Morris will be visiting the National Museum of Dance on Sunday, August 9 at 11:30 a.m. for a meet and greet session with visitors. Patrons will have the opportunity to talk with Morris and view the new exhibition in his honor that opens the same day. Morris is also the newest Mr. and Mrs. Cornelius Vanderbilt Whitney Hall of Fame inductee, along with the posthumous induction of ballet dancer and choreographer Rudolf Nureyev. This event is free and open to the public. Brunch will be served.
A native of Seattle, Mark Morris performed with the companies of Lar Lubovitch, Hannah Kahn, Laura Dean, Eliot Feld and the Koleda Balkan Dance Ensemble early in his career. He founded the Mark Morris Dance Group (MMDG) in 1980. Revered for his exceptional musicality, innovation and humor, he has created close to 150 pieces for MMDG, and his choreographed work is included in the repertories of numerous dance companies such as the San Francisco Ballet and American Ballet Theatre.
Morris served as the Director of Dance at the Théâtre Royal de la Monnaie in Brussels where he created three of his masterworks, “L’Allegro,” “il Penseroso ed il Moderato,” “Dido and Aeneas,” and “The Hard Nut.” He actively conducts music, and directs and choreographs operas for the Metropolitan Opera, The Royal Opera, Covent Garden and others. In 2001, Morris founded the Mark Morris Dance Center in Brooklyn to provide a home for his company, rehearsal space for the community, programs for local children and seniors, and a school offering dance classes to students of all ages and levels.
The National Museum of Dance is located at 99 South Broadway in Saratoga Springs. The Museum is currently open for daily admission Tuesday through Saturday from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. and Sunday from 12 to 4 p.m. For more information about exhibitions and upcoming events at the Museum, visit www.dancemuseum.org or call (518) 584-2225.
