Mark Morris Dance Center

Mark Morris Dance Center

The Mark Morris Dance Center is a performing arts facility and dance education institution located in Brooklyn, New York. Founded by choreographer Mark Morris and organized with support from arts funders, city agencies, and private donors, the Center serves as a rehearsal home, school, and community hub. It hosts resident ensembles, visiting companies, and educational initiatives that connect to institutions such as Brooklyn Academy of Music, New York University, Juilliard School, Lincoln Center, and cultural organizations across the United States and Europe.

History

The Center opened in 2001 after renovation of a former industrial site in Fort Greene in collaboration with architects and city planners involved with projects like High Line and Brooklyn Navy Yard. Its founding involved partnerships with arts funders including the National Endowment for the Arts, the New York State Council on the Arts, and private foundations linked to patrons associated with institutions such as Metropolitan Museum of Art and Carnegie Hall. Early seasons featured premieres by Morris alongside collaborations with composers and musicians with ties to ensembles like Orpheus Chamber Orchestra, New York Philharmonic, and soloists affiliated with Metropolitan Opera. The Center has weathered cultural shifts and municipal initiatives affecting arts spaces, interacting with policies from the New York City Department of Cultural Affairs and neighborhood developments in Fort Greene near landmarks such as BAM Harvey Theater.

Facilities

The Center's building contains multiple studios designed to professional standards used by companies like Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater, Paul Taylor Dance Company, and visiting troupes from Royal Ballet and Paris Opéra Ballet. Facilities include sprung floors, a performance space adaptable for presentations similar to venues at Joyce Theater and Apollo Theater, dressing rooms, and a music rehearsal room that has hosted ensembles resembling London Symphony Orchestra chamber groups and ensembles connected to Academy of St Martin in the Fields. Administrative offices support collaborations with producers and presenters linked to Kennedy Center and festival organizers such as Jacob's Pillow Dance Festival.

Programs and Education

The Center runs a school offering training at levels comparable to programs at School of American Ballet, American Ballet Theatre's Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis School, and conservatories connected to Curtis Institute of Music. Curriculum includes technique, choreography, and music workshops often taught by artists associated with Mark Morris Dance Group, guest faculty from Merce Cunningham Trust, and specialists who've worked with institutions like Boston Ballet and San Francisco Ballet. Community education partnerships include initiatives with public schools in partnership models similar to collaborations seen with Public Theater outreach, after-school programs connected to City Parks Foundation, and healthcare-linked movement programs inspired by work at Mount Sinai Health System and NYU Langone Health. The Center's professional development initiatives support dancers with resources related to dance administration at organizations like Dance/USA.

Resident Companies and Artists

Resident ensembles include the company founded by Morris and affiliated musical ensembles that collaborate with orchestras comparable to New York City Ballet's music staff and chamber groups such as Bang on a Can. The Center hosts visiting artists from companies like Martha Graham Dance Company, Twyla Tharp Dance, Mark Morris Dance Group collaborators, and choreographers with histories at venues like Sadler's Wells Theatre and festivals such as Edinburgh Festival Fringe. Individual artists in residence have included dancers, composers, and designers with credits at Metropolitan Opera, Seattle Opera, and contemporary ensembles associated with Brooklyn Rider.

Performances and Community Outreach

The Center produces performances that engage presenters such as BAM, Lincoln Center Festival, and touring partners including On the Boards and Hopscotch Music Festival analogues. Its outreach programs model partnerships with social service and arts-access organizations like Arts for All initiatives and health-focused residency work reminiscent of collaborations with Hospice Foundation programs and academic research groups at Columbia University and Princeton University. Seasonal festivals, open rehearsals, and curated series create public access comparable to events organized by Dancespace Project and New Dance Alliance, while fundraising events have featured donors and supporters associated with foundations such as Guggenheim Foundation and Ford Foundation.

Category:Dance venues in New York City Category:Non-profit organizations based in New York City