Mark Morris Dance Group to perform in Rapid City and Sioux Falls

Internationally renowned as one of the world’s leading dance companies, the Mark Morris Dance Group (MMDG) will perform in Rapid City and Sioux Falls as part of the South Dakota Arts Council’s Dance on Tour program. The Rapid City performance will be held January 21, 2014, in the Rushmore Plaza Civic Center Theatre. There will be two Sioux Falls performances in the Washington Pavilion’s Mary W. Sommervold Hall, January 24 and 25. For information about performances and tickets, contact the box office of either the Civic Center (605-394-4115) or the Pavilion (605-367-6000) in the community hosting the performance you wish to attend.

The Brooklyn-based MMDG is the only modern dance company to make a commitment to live music at every performance. Artistic director, choreographer and founder Mark Morris committed to performing exclusively with live music in 1996. The number of musicians varies from two to eight depending upon the works performed. In South Dakota the company will perform with piano and violin.

Each residency includes educational outreach activities as well as the performances. This year the 20-member company outreach has added workshops for people who seldom are offered participation dance activity opportunities—those with developmental disabilities and patients with Parkinson’s disease.
More customary workshops are scheduled for dancers, non-dancers, and age ranges from pre-school children to retirees. In Rapid City the company will stage a short performance for elementary school children. Local dance students in Sioux Falls will be able to audition for places in MMDG’s Summer Intensive program.

The residency continues the South Dakota Dance on Tour leadership with consortium members, the Black Hills Dance Theatre in Rapid City, Washington Pavilion in Sioux Falls and on alternating years, Aberdeen Area Arts Council. These residencies are made possible with funding support by the South Dakota Arts Council through the National Endowment for the Arts and the SD Legislature as well as the nine-state regional arts agency, Arts Midwest.