The Mark Morris Dance Center Celebrates "20 Years in Brooklyn"
Company:
Mark Morris Dance Center
THE MARK MORRIS DANCE CENTER CELEBRATES “20 YEARS IN BROOKLYN” WITH
SPECIAL KICK-OFF EVENT AND YEAR-LONG ANNIVERSARY PROGRAMMING
The Mark Morris Dance Center will commemorate 20 years of dance and music programming in downtown Brooklyn with an anniversary celebration and a year of free programs, events, performances, and more beginning September 18, 2021
BROOKLYN, NY – The Mark Morris Dance Center, home to the Mark Morris Dance Group (MMDG) and a variety wide range of dance and music education programs for all ages and abilities will celebrate its 20th Anniversary with Mark Morris Dance Center: 20 Years in Brooklyn, an all-day celebration on September 18, to kick off a year-long series of anniversary events through 2021 and into 2022.
Mark Morris Dance Center: 20 Years in Brooklyn will be held on The Plaza at 300 Ashland on Saturday, September 18 from 10 AM to 4 PM ET. The event schedule includes performances by the Mark Morris Dance Group, dance classes for all ages, with and without disabilities, opportunities to speak with representatives from The School at Mark Morris Dance Center, and more. The event is free and open to the public; advance registration is required.
The Mark Morris Dance Center opened in September 2001, to become the permanent home of the Mark Morris Dance Group and a cultural resource for the entire Brooklyn community. Upon opening, MMDG launched The School at the Mark Morris Dance Center – an inclusive, non-competitive dance school for children and teens ages 18 months to 18 years, adult dance classes for both recreational and professional dancers, and Dance for PD®, a research-backed dance program for people living with Parkinson’s Disease. During the past 20 years, the Dance Center’s programs have expanded to more than 200 on-site and online classes and community programs per week, serving more than 50,000 participants annually.
“The Mark Morris Dance Center is just that: a center for dancing, music, meeting others of many backgrounds and interests, and for delighting in the investigation, achievement, mastery, and fun of dancing. It is a deeply-rooted cultural resource, a community,” says MMDG founder and Artistic Director Mark Morris. “This building, intended as the headquarters of the Mark Morris Dance Group, has blossomed into a revered collective for the allied arts. Whether for recreation, education, socialization, broadening of awareness, or any number of benefits, the Dance Center has been providing a safe, diverse, and lively venue for twenty wonderful years. We plan on many more.”
Throughout the Dance Center’s 20th anniversary year, it will present a series of free events and programs; the Official Sponsor is Bloomberg Philanthropies. Event lineup currently includes:
Mark Morris Dance Center: 20 Years in Brooklyn - Kick-off Event
September 18, 2021 | 10:00 AM-4:00 PM ET
Mark Morris Dance Center: 20 Years in Brooklyn will commemorate two decades of dance and performing arts education in the heart of Brooklyn's cultural district and kick-off a year of 20th anniversary programming. This FREE event will include performances by the Dance Group and Dance Center students, dance classes, meet & greet with The School staff and faculty, and more, on The Plaza at 300 Ashland. Presented in collaboration with Downtown Brooklyn Partnership, programming at The Plaza at 300 Ashland is made possible by support from Two Trees Management Co. For a complete schedule of classes and performances, visit: mmdg.org/MMDC20.
Dance for PD® 20th Anniversary Day
October 12, 2021 | 3:00 PM ET
An online celebration including a class taught by founding teachers David Leventhal, John Heginbotham and Misty Owens on the day MMDG’s Dance for PD program began 20 years ago. The class will feature an introduction from co-founder Olie Westheimer and will be followed by a live Q&A at 4:15 PM ET.
Dance, Music and Literacy Special Event
December 8 & 9, 2021 and January 26 & 27, 2022
Mark Morris Dance Group’s acclaimed Dance, Music, and Literacy program (DML) introduces students to the performing and visual arts through a Mark Morris masterwork, L’Allegro, il Penseroso ed il Moderato, featuring the music of George Frideric Handel, poetry of John Milton, and paintings of William Blake. Students will explore the interplay of these art forms and gain a basic understanding of dance vocabulary through Morris’ choreography. The semester-long residencies culminates with a visit to the Mark Morris Dance Center to watch the Mark Morris Dance Group and perform excerpts from the work with them, followed by a Q&A session.
Year-End Performance
June 2022
The School at Mark Morris Dance Center’s Student Company I and II will be joined by members of the Dance for PD program for a memorable combined performance to celebrate 20 years with our community and to showcase that “dance is for anybody.”
NOTE: Programs and dates are subject to change; visit mmdg.org/MMDC20 for most up-to-date program and schedule information.
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WHAT: Mark Morris Dance Center: 20 Years in Brooklyn anniversary year. Features free live events and performances, and more.
WHEN: September 2021 through August 2022
WHERE: For more information on programs and dates (which are subject to change), please visit: mmdg.org/MMDC20.
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