Mark Morris Quotes

Every ballet, whether or not successful artistically or with the public, has given me something important.

Observe that it is a great error to believe that all mediums of art are not closely tied to their time.

If you look at art history, at Goya or Gainsborough, it's always about acknowledging the people of your time who have influence.

I want the ballet world to be given the respect that it deserves and to be seen by more people - for so many to experience the beauty that I've received from the ballet world.

An artistic standpoint - I've watched a lot of ballet and source some inspiration from how they move, connect with each other, and find meaning in their movement.

Art is the signature of a generation; artists have a way of defining the times.

Modern dancers give a sinister portent about our times.

We have to remind people how important arts are. People just don't see it.

Then came the choreography... the impact of music and choreography tends to really emphasize an overall feeling of what you really want out of the program.

We say arts education is good for general education, but that's not the point. The arts are what great nations are remembered for. They are a mirror.

I frequently go to the ballet, but I don't miss it in the sense that I wish I were still dancing.

Slashing its way to the finish line, 'Black Swan' is the first ballet movie for highbrow horror fans for whom ballet itself signifies little to nothing. Those of us who know and love ballet can only look on it with a different kind of horror.

Take Damien Hirst out of contemporary art history, and there's an incredible void. Great artists, like great people, have second acts.

To understand a field, you look at its arts. Arts can be cautionary as well as inspiring.

I began to fear that the Graham work was not in lots of ways sufficient for me. I suppose it came about from looking at other dancing and being involved with the ballet - something about the air and the way she thought about dancing.

Yes, I believe stories are very important to all performances. The life story of the performer shapes their work, and the life stories of the audience alter how they receive the work, what they read into the performer.

I used to always say - and I think a lot of artists think of it this way - that when you see a black figure, the way the critical establishment operated, you can only imagine that figure having a sociological value. They never say the ways in which their aesthetics were equally worthy of consideration.

Once people write criticism about something - and even in 1967 I was far from alone - they're assuming it's art, and art is supposed to last.

My intention is to make sure that the new work being created for the ballet world is relevant.

If anyone is calling me to choreograph a dance, they know my style, and they know I am a taskmaster. They want to present themselves as a good dancer before their fans, and that is why they want me to choreograph.

I like to express myself inside of the work that is given, and I let the dancers do the same.

Ditya Bhande is a nice dancer.

I try to convey the musical notes through dance, take on the music.

For ballet dancers, style is about melding personal expression with physical form.

Strictly' has evolved - there are such beautiful stories within each dance. We're not doing a ballroom and Latin competition, it's an entertainment show.