Mark Morris Dance Group at Byham Theater

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Mark Morris Dance Group
Saturday, May 4, 2013 at the Byham Theater

Pittsburgh Dance Council presents
Mark Morris Dance Group
8:00 p.m.
Saturday, May 4, 2013
Byham Theater

 Pittsburgh, PA:   Pittsburgh Dance Council, a division of the Pittsburgh Cultural Trust, will present world renowned Mark Morris Dance Group at the Byham Theater, on Saturday, May 4, 2013, at 8:00 p.m.

Petrichor (Photo Credit:  Brian Snyder)

Mark Morris Dance Group will perform three works: “The Muir”, “Petrichor” and “The Festival Dance”. The Muir (premiered in June 27, 2010) features six dancers with various music and Ludwig van Beethoven’s arrangements to a collection of Irish and Scottish folk songs. Petrichor (premiered Oct. 14, 2010; title refers to the scent left behind after rain) features eight female dancers and is composed to a series of string quartets by composer Heitor Villa-Lobos.   The Festival Dance (premiered March 17, 2011) is performed by 12 dancers to Piano Trio No.5, a Bohemian folk dance work composed by Johann Nepomuk Hummel.  All three pieces were choreographed after the music had been chosen, a practice unique to Morris in all of his works.

Mark Morris

Mark Morris has spent his life surrounded by the arts. First he learned music then he learned dance, both of which he pursued passionately. After graduation he spent time in Europe studying the flamenco. Moving to New York City was a major step for Morris that gave him the opportunity to perform with various companies. These experiences allowed him to develop his own style, creating dances in a rented studio space until the founding of Mark Morris Dance Group in Brooklyn, New York in 1980.

Mark Morris is best known for his great accomplishments with his own dance company, his unique style begins with a score. Creating entire dances based on music might seem backwards but it is a technique that transforms the language of dance.  He has also worked with many ballet companies, and received eleven honorary doctorates. Along with these doctorates Mark Morris has received countless other awards recognizing his excellence including; the Benjamin Franklin Creativity Laureate Award in 2012 and in 2010 received the Leonard Bernstein Lifetime Achievement Award for the Elevation of Music in Society.

One reporter, Gia Kourlas, for The New York Times pointed out, "That Mr. Morris reveals his musical sophistication through barefoot modern dancing is what gives his choreography such primal elegance. Whether the effect is joyful, bombastic or as quiet as can be, the connective tissue is rhythm: the way a melody might hook its way into a foot and lengthen out through the opposite shoulder. He finds ways to make bodies sing all the notes, not just the high ones."

Petrichor (Photo Credit:  Brian Snyder)

Petrichor (Photo Credit:  Brian Snyder)

Mark Morris Dance Group travels internationally, striking the world with their melodic moves. Working only with live accompaniment in practice and performance MMDG strives to fully incorporate the human element into each work they produce. In 1988 MMDG was asked to travel to Belgium’s Theatre Royal de la Monnaie in Brussels in order to accept a three-year residence as the national dance company.

Since accepting this honor and completing the residency, Mark Morris Dance Group has returned to New York where they continue to create innovations in modern dance. Morris has created over 130 works for his dance group. With an extensive repertoire this company is not only inventing new works but reinventing their previous dances! A performance by the MMDG can promise a unique expression of human dance, accompanied by live music, and humorous innuendoes to lighten the mood.

Tickets ($19-$48) may be purchased at the Box Office at Theater Square, online at www.TrustArts.org, or by calling (412) 456-6666. Subscribe to the 2013-2014 Pittsburgh Dance Council season by calling (412) 456-1390 or online at www.TrustArts.org/dance.


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