diary: A weeklong electronic journal.

Mark Morris

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Posted Friday, Jan. 21, 2000, at 9:00 PM ET

Dear Diary,

What a day! Up at 9:30 and back to the dancing part of my job. Taught class to about 18 dancers who are working on our next show. It is basically a ballet class that includes some other moves that will help people understand better how their bodies work. An hour and a half of thinking and moving to music. Ethan Iverson is Pianist/Accompanist/Music Director/Performer extraordinaire. He is a brilliant jazz player and writer (buy his records). He plays surprising and specific music for the surprising and specific class I give.

L'Allegro, il Penseroso ed il Moderato is the dance we are doing next. I made it up in Brussels more than 10 years ago. Music by Handel, text by Milton, sets by Adrianne Lobel, big chorus, orchestra, good moves, several solo singers, 24 dancers, two hours long, not boring. This piece can be performed only in theaters that it fits, because it's big. Tina is the referee for the rehearsals, which are four to six hours long. In a week people pull it together. They are quick studies. I love to watch this dance because it's beautiful to watch.

I then had a meeting about Four Saints in Three Acts (music by Virgil Thomson, libretto by Gertrude Stein), which I'm staging as a danced opera in June and July, in London with the English National Opera. (Don't forget to read Stein's Three Lives.) We've been working on it sporadically since August.

At 4:00, I auditioned a singer for future work. He was good, and I enjoyed listening.

Annie Liebovitz photographed some of my womyn dancers recently and we all attended her gallery opening tonight. Deeply detailed, Titian-ish skin-toned, plain, elegant photographs. There were a lot of people there. Most were standing directly in front of pictures while juggling wine glasses and cell phones. Fun dinner party. Interesting guests. Delicious chorizo empanadas. Mariachi band.

Dashed home to write this. Larry King to Melissa Etheridge: "Tell us the things you refuse to talk about."

Gotta go. This has been fun. Visit my Web site at www.mmdg.org

Mark

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Posted Friday, Jan. 21, 2000, at 9:00 PM ET