IN THIS ISSUE:
The Hard Nut returns to Brooklyn!
Farewell Sam Black. Welcome Elisa Clark
Catch the Last Stop of our 2023-24 Tour Season in Nashville
Come see us this summer in and around New York
Mark Morris: Music I Want You To Hear
At the Mark Morris Dance Center: Our 2024 Dance Center Showcase was a success!
Did you watch Tryouts on ESPN+ yet?
The Hard Nut returns to Brooklyn!
Mark’s boisterous reimagining of Tchaikovsky’s beloved The Nutcracker — a sly, retro-modern take based on E.T.A. Hoffman’s original story and the comic book art of Charles Burns — returns to BAM this December.
Tickets go on sale to the public June 27, but Mark Morris Dance Group members get advanced access to tickets June 25 at 10am EST.
To secure tickets before they’re available to the public, become a member!
*Contributors at the Sponsoring Partner level and above receive concierge ticketing. If you’ve already provided your early RSVP for concierge ticketing, please note we have your reservation on file. If you haven’t provided your early RSVP, contact Lauren Grant at lauren.grant@mmdg.org.
Watch archival clips from The Hard Nut on stage and behind the scenes:
Farewell Sam Black. Welcome Elisa Clark
It is with mixed emotions that we announce the departure of Company Director, Sam Black. Sam has been a member of the MMDG family since 2006, when he was hired as an apprentice, quickly becoming a full company member the following year. In 2010, he began teaching Dance for PD, leading classes and workshops for this program around the world. Sam continued to grace the stage with his talent until 2019, when he transitioned to the role of Rehearsal Director. His dedication and leadership led to his promotion to Company Director in 2021. Sam’s contributions over the years have been immeasurable, and we wish him the best on his future endeavors.
“After nearly 20 years at the Mark Morris Dance Group, I’ve decided it’s time for a new adventure,” said Sam.”I will always love these dances, this organization, and the people who make those things happen. Thank you to everyone who made this experience so wonderful.
Elisa is an award-winning artist, educator, and administrator who trained at the Maryland Youth Ballet before receiving a B.F.A. from The Juilliard School.
Elisa’s distinguished career includes dancing with Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater, Lar Lubovitch Dance Company, and Monica Bill Barnes & Co., as well as performances with Nederlands Dans Theater and the Metropolitan Opera. She has been on faculty at prestigious institutions such as the School at Jacob’s Pillow, Princeton University, University of the Arts, American Dance Festival, Move NYC, Marymount Manhattan College, and Bard College in partnership with Gibney Company. Currently, she is on the ballet faculty at the Ailey School, Gibney, and Steps on Broadway.
We are thrilled to have Elisa’s exceptional talent and experience back with MMDG, and we look forward to the great contributions she will make in her new role.
Catch the last stop of our 2023-24 Tour Season in Nashville!
If you’re in the Nashville area, join us for the final performance of The Look of Love for this season at the Tennessee Center for Performing Arts.
Come see us this summer in and around New York
August 1
Caramoor Center for Music and the Arts
Katonah, NY
Italian Concerto, Candleflowerdance, Excursions, Words
August 3
Brooklyn Bridge Park
Water, Words and new work
August 31
Bryant Park
Gloria
Mark Morris: Music I Want You To Hear
For Black Music Month, Mark suggests you give a listen to these two artists: Nellie Lutcher, an R&B and jazz singer and pianist, who gained prominence in the late 1940s and early 1950s and was credited as an influence by Nina Simone, and Sylvester, active in the genres of disco, R&B and soul in the 1970s and 1980s.
At the Dance Center: Our 2024 Dance Center Showcase was a success!
Photos by John Eng
On June 7-9, our Student Company I and II students, the Arts Immersion Fellows, and Dance for PD® participants came together at the Dance Center for a wonderful series of performances that included original choreography by MMDG company member Billy Smith, Brooklyn-based dancer and choreographer Quilan Arnold, and Dance Center faculty member Aria Roach. The showcase also included a restaging of excerpts of L’Allegro, il Penseroso ed il Moderato performed by both student companies and an adaptation of Mark’s Foursome for Dance for PD participants.
Did you see Tryouts on ESPN+ yet?
The Mark Morris Dance Group is featured in episode 5 of “Tryouts,” an ESPN+ original series that explores the most intense, high-stakes tryouts, competitions, and auditions in America.
The ESPN+ crew followed us during our company auditions in June 2023, which resulted in the hiring of three new dancers. Watch the trailer:
