Mark Morris (he/him) is widely regarded as “the most successful and influential choreographer alive, and indisputably the most musical” (New York Times). Born on August 29, 1956, in Seattle, Washington, he trained with Verla Flowers and Perry Brunson before launching his professional career performing with the companies of Lar Lubovitch, Hannah Kahn, Laura Dean, Eliot Feld, and the Koleda Balkan Dance Ensemble.
Morris founded the Mark Morris Dance Group (MMDG) in 1980, for which he has created more than 150 works. From 1988 to 1991, he served as Director of Dance at the Théâtre Royal de la Monnaie in Brussels, Belgium’s national opera house, and in 1990 co-founded the White Oak Dance Project with Mikhail Baryshnikov. He has also created twenty-two works for ballet companies worldwide and directed productions for major opera houses, including The Metropolitan Opera and The Royal Opera, Covent Garden.
Celebrated for his deep musicality, Morris began conducting MMDG performances in 2006 and served as Music Director for the Ojai Music Festival in 2013. A MacArthur Foundation Fellow since 1991, he holds eleven honorary doctorates and has received the Samuel H. Scripps/American Dance Festival Award for Lifetime Achievement, among numerous other honors.
In 2001, Morris opened the Mark Morris Dance Center in Brooklyn, New York — a home for his company, local artists, community outreach programs, and a school serving students of all ages and abilities. His memoir, Out Loud, co-written with Wesley Stace, was published by Penguin Press in 2019.