Mark Morris Dance Group Will Present DANCES TO AMERICAN MUSIC at The Joyce Theater
The company's 45th anniversary season closes with a world premiere set to Hazel Dickens's bluegrass music.
This July, the Mark Morris Dance Group and Music Ensemble returns to The Joyce Theater to close its 45th anniversary season with Dances to American Music, a three-program repertory series running July 14–25.
Following last summer's season-opening engagement, the company comes full circle at The Joyce with a celebration of American sound that arrives as the nation marks its 250th anniversary. The series includes a world premiere set to the music of pioneering bluegrass artist Hazel Dickens, alongside beloved repertory works spanning Jazz, Country, and experimental West Coast composition.
Reflecting Mark Morris's lifelong devotion to music, Dances to American Music traces a wide arc of American sound rooted in rhythm, storytelling, and invention. Across three distinct programs, the works reveals how those traditions live on through movement and how American music holds memory, identity, and contradiction, made visible through Morris's choreography.
“American music happens to be vast, contradictory, and full of invention, so there's plenty to work with,” explains Mark Morris.
Program A: Soul of America (July 14, 15, 17, and July 18) draws from the vitality of early jazz and American popular music, with works set to composers including George Gershwin and James P. Johnson. Highlights include Morris' newest work, Pizzica, a high-energy burst of rhythmic precision set to music by Louis Moreau Gottschalk; Three Preludes, a solo shaped by Gershwin's elegance and swing; Dancing Honeymoon, a playful journey through songs of the 1920s and '30s; and You've Got to Be Modernistic, an homage to Johnson's pioneering influence on jazz and stride piano.
Program B: American Heartbeat (July 16, 18, 23, and 25) celebrates the rich traditions of Country, Western and Bluegrass music in a rare all-recorded-music program, built around specific historic recordings. It is anchored by The Sweetest Gift, a world premiere by Morris set to music by Hazel Dickens, a trailblazing force whose voice and songwriting helped reshape bluegrass music. Created for eight dancers, the work weaves in clogging's percussive footwork, continuing Morris's enduring dialogue with American vernacular traditions.
Also featured is Songs That Tell a Story, alongside the return of Deck of Cards, a duet not seen since 2000, marking the first time another performer will take on the role originally danced by Morris himself. The program concludes with Going Away Party, a spirited, honky-tonk dance inspired by communal gatherings and social celebration.
Program C: American Mavericks (July 21, 22, 24, and 25) explores the expansive and experimental sound worlds of West Coast composers Henry Cowell and Lou Harrison. In Jenn and Spencer, an intimate duet pulses with raw intensity, while Pacific unfolds as a sweeping, sculptural work that renders the breadth of the score visible through movement. Grand Duo rounds out the program with Morris's signature blend of athleticism, musical rigor, and joy.
Closing the company's 45th anniversary season, Dances to American Music reflects the enduring vision of Mark Morris, one of the country's most prolific choreographers, whose work has long been animated by music, culture, and human connection. As the nation marks its 250th anniversary, these three programs offer a vivid portrait of America.
SEASON INFORMATION
Program A (Soul of America): July 14, 15, 17 at 7:30 PM; July 18 at 2:00 PM
Program B (American Heartbeat): July 16, 18, 23, 25 at 7:30 PM
Program C (American Mavericks): July 21, 22, 24 at 7:30 PM; July 25 at 2:00 PM
Tickets start at $25 and are available at The Joyce Theater box office and online at joyce.org.
For more information on programs and dates (which are subject to change), please visit: https://markmorrisdancegroup.org/mark-morris-dance-group-at-the-joyce-theater-2026/
VENUE INFORMATION
The Joyce Theater is located at 175 Eighth Avenue (at 19th Street) in the Chelsea neighborhood of Manhattan. The theater is easily accessible by subway, with the A/C/E, F/M and L trains. The venue is wheelchair accessible.
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