Choreographer Mark Morris garnered international fame for “L'Allegro, il Penseroso ed il Moderato”, considered a landmark achievement, and set to Handel's Baroque masterpiece, in which a colorful array of dancers embody the ecstasy of art that transforms. “L'Allegro” was Mark Morris's premiere work as Director of Dance at the Théâtre Royal de la Monnaie in Brussels, Belgium in 1988, and in the intervening years, has been performed to critical and audience acclaim all over the world. Winner of numerous awards including a Laurence Olivier Award, “L'Allegro” uses Milton's text and features sets inspired by William Blake's later watercolors.
Founded in NYC in 1980, the Mark Morris Dance Group (MMDG) is considered one of the preeminent modern dance companies, its members praised repeatedly for their technique and musicality. Live music and community engagement are vital components of the Dance Group, which has toured with its own musicians, the MMDG Music Ensemble, since 1996. Through Access/MMDG programming, the Dance Group provides educational opportunities in dance and music to people of all ages and abilities while on tour internationally and at home at the Mark Morris Dance Center in Brooklyn, NY. The performance was filmed July 2014 at the Teatro Real in Madrid, Spain.
This recording of what many consider a Mark Morris masterwork is bright and fresh, and the 24 dancers present the friendly sometimes frankly pictorial shapes and bounding energy of the choreography with vigour.
dance International Magazine, Winter 2015 Edition