The Mark Morris Dance Group to make its debut at the Joyce Theater 

After more than 40 years as a New York City-based dance company, the Mark Morris Dance Group (MMDG) will make its debut at The Joyce Theater in the Chelsea neighborhood of New York. The company’s 10-day engagement will feature two programs of work, including audience favorites and rarely seen pieces, as well as a world premiere and a stage premiere.

“Program A,” August 1-5, 2023, will include Numerator (2017), A Wooden Tree (2012), Italian Concerto (2007), and Grand Duo (1993); “Program B,” August 8-12, will include Castor and Pollux (1980), Tempus Perfectum (2021), All Fours (2003), and the world premiere of A minor Dance, set to Partita No. 3 in A minor by Johann Sebastian Bach. Program B also marks the stage premiere of Tempus Perfectum, which premiered during MMDG’s Live from Brooklyn livestream performance in May 2021 but has never been performed in front of a live audience. All pieces, except A Wooden Tree and Castor and Pollux, will feature live musical accompaniment by the MMDG Music Ensemble.

“I’m thrilled we’re performing at The Joyce for the first time. It will be a ‘variety pack’ of dances, from the very old Castor and Pollux… to a very new work set to J.S. Bach’s Partita No. 3 in A minor,” says Artistic Director Mark Morris. “The two programs we’re presenting show the full range of work my company and I have been doing for decades.”

Mark Morris Dance Group’s August residency will close out The Joyce Theater’s two-month Summer 2023 Season, MMDG performances will take place on Tuesdays and Wednesdays at 7:30 PM, Thursdays and Fridays at 8 PM, and Saturdays at 2 PM and 8 PM from August 1-12, 2023. Tickets priced from $10-$75 are available for all shows and are currently on sale on The Joyce Theater website. Complimentary tickets and transportation will also be provided to 100 attendees from MMDG’s community education and engagement programs, thanks to special underwriting from individual supporters of the company’s access initiatives.

Founded in New York City in 1980 by artistic director and choreographer Mark Morris, praised by The New York Times as “the most successful and influential choreographer alive, and indisputably the most musical,” the Mark Morris Dance Group has been called “the preeminent modern dance organization of our time” (Yo-Yo Ma). Its members have received the “highest praise for their technical aplomb, their musicality, and their sheer human authenticity.” (Bloomberg News). Live music and community engagement are vital components of the Mark Morris Dance Group, which has toured with its own musicians, the MMDG Music Ensemble, since 1996. The Mark Morris Dance Center, opened in Brooklyn in 2001, is the home of the Dance Group and provides educational opportunities in dance and music to people of all ages and abilities.