Mark Morris Dance Group brings two New York premieres to BAM to celebrate 45 years

Mark Morris Dance Group and BAM present Mark Morris Dance Group and Music Ensemble in a four-performance engagement at the Howard Gilman Opera House, March 26–29, 2026 as part of BAM’s Winter/Spring 2026 Season. Taking place amid an active touring season marking the company’s 45th anniversary, the engagement features the New York premieres of MOON and Via Dolorosa, alongside the return of V.

MOON, which premiered in 2025, comes to New York on March 26 and 29. The hour-long dance for nine performers explores humanity’s enduring fascination with its celestial companion, drawing inspiration from the Golden Record—an audio message placed aboard NASA’s Voyager spacecraft in 1977. Dreamy, whimsical, and quietly expansive; the work blends humor and wonder through Morris’s signature musicality. The score combines live and recorded music ranging from swing, bluegrass, and country songs from the 1930s and ’40s to Marcel Dupré, Claude Debussy, and György Ligeti, performed live onstage by Mark Morris Dance Group Music Director Colin Fowler (keyboards) and Andrew Trombley (bass).

For MOON, Morris collaborated with a celebrated creative team to create a richly layered stage environment. Projection designer Wendall K. Harrington, in her first collaboration with Morris, crafted a vivid visual world evoking both the “mathematical magic” of the moon landing and the romantic imagery that has kept generations moonstruck. The dancers wear costumes by Isaac Mizrahi, with lighting by Mike Faba, and the set is completed with astronaut sculptures by Ottmar Hörl.

On March 28, the company presents the New York premiere of Via Dolorosa, a deeply moving meditation on devotion and humanity, taking its title from the processional route traditionally associated with the Stations of the Cross. Unfolding against a painted backdrop by British artist Howard Hodgkin, Morris sets the dance to The Street by acclaimed composer Nico Muhly, a luminous solo harp score inspired by texts by Alice Goodman, performed live onstage by renowned harpist Parker Ramsay. Prior to this engagement, Via Dolorosa has been performed only once in 2024 at Cal Performances, Berkeley, CA.

The program also includes V, which returns to the BAM stage where it made its New York premiere in 2001. Set to Robert Schumann’s Quintet in E-flat Major, Op. 44, and performed live by the company’s Music Ensemble, the work, dedicated to the City of New York, translates the score’s shifting moods into buoyant group patterns and intimate duets, often described by critics as unusually “life-affirming” and radiant in its musical clarity.

“This anniversary season reflects the vitality of the company today and our continued commitment to making and presenting new work,” said Executive Director Nancy Umanoff. “With the addition of these two New York premieres, the company’s repertory at BAM now encompasses more than 71 unique works—underscoring our dedication to ambitious, musically-driven choreography and meaningful engagement with audiences.”

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.  Led by Music Director Colin Fowler since 2005, the Ensemble’s repertory ranges from 17th and 18th century works by J.S. Bach and Henry Purcell to more recent scores by Ethan Iverson, Lou Harrison, Henry Cowell and Burt Bacharach. The musicians also participate in the Dance Group’s educational and community programming at home and on tour.

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.

The 2025–2026 season marks the company’s 45th anniversary, a celebration of MMDG’s extraordinary legacy of artistic excellence, innovation, and connection through music and dance.

Tickets for Mark Morris Dance Group’s BAM engagement start at $35 and are on sale now at https://www.bam.org/

Mark Morris Dance Group MOON, photo credit xmbphotography