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Merger of music and movement
Mark Morris on the alchemy of making a dance
by Connie Blaszczyk
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 Choreographer and dancer Mark Morris has been called the "enfant terrible" of modern dance. One critic went so far as to call him the "would-be enfant terrible." He's even been cast in gastronomic terms, as a "natural ham." Free-range swine aside, Morris is a genuine song-and-dance man, a choreographer who's serious about music, movement and the art of making dances.
Morris was born into a fun-loving and theatrical household in 1956. Early on, he starred in the family's amateur productions, such as Safari to Irafas (safari spelled backwards). While other kids took to the field, Morris took to the dance studio. There, under the loving guidance of dance instructor Verla Flowers, Morris studied both ballet and flamenco technique. As a young teen, he joined the Koleda Folk Ensemble. Their communal approach to Balkan dancing would later influence Morris' own ensemble, the Mark Morris Dance Group, formed in 1980.
Nearly twenty years later, the ensemble still features some of its original members. Such longevity is an anomaly in the dance world, but Morris values loyalty. The continuity has enabled him to create a number of highly-regarded dances, including L'Allegro, il Penseroso ed il Moderato; Dido and Aeneas; and The Hard Nut, a comic-book-inspired version of The Nutcracker. More recently, Morris collaborated with cellist Yo-Yo Ma in Falling Down Stairs, set to Bach's Third Suite for Unaccompanied Cello.
These days, the once-outspoken choreographer has mellowed a bit. Gone are the shocking sound bites that fueled critical flames. But fear not -- Morris' ideas about dance, theater and art are still striking enough to uphold his former title as the "bad boy" of modern dance.
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Enter stage right -- Mark Morris -- modern dance "bad boy," choreographer for Baryshnikov and more.
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Mark Morris
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