Mark Morris is an American dancer, choreographer, and director whose work is acclaimed for its craftsmanship, ingenuity, humor, and at times eclectic musical accompaniments. Morris grew up in Seattle, Washington, where his mother introduced him to Balkan folk dance and ballet. In the early years of his career, he performed with Lar Lubovitch, Hannah Kahn, Laura Dean, Eliot Feld, and the Koleda Balkan Dance Ensemble.
Morris moved to New York, where he established his own company, the Mark Morris Dance Group, which debuted in 1980. In 1990, Morris and Mikhail Baryshnikov established the White Oak Dance Project. He continued creating works for his company until 1995.
He is much in demand as a ballet choreographer, most notably with San Francisco Ballet. He has also received commissions from such companies as American Ballet Theatre, Boston Ballet, and the Paris Opera Ballet.
Notable works of Morris include Gloria (1981), set to Vivaldi and The Hard Nut (1991), his version of the Nutcracker set in the 1960's; just to name a few.
In 2001 his company moved into permanent studios and established the School at the Mark Morris Dance Center, offering classes to dancers of all ages and skill levels, as well as people with Parkinson's Disease.
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