Margaret Morris – Dancing, Photographs by Fred Daniels
Whilst at home over xmas, I was browsing through the bookshelves for things of interest. My mum is a choreographer and has quite a few dance related books. This one caught my eye, mainly because of the beautiful photographs, but the typesetting is pretty nice too. It probably had a nice dust jacket originally but no sign of that now unfortunately. I can’t find a publication date in the book either, but it’s plainly somewhere in the 1920’s.
There’s some interesting stuff in the book about Margaret’s ideas on dance and health. She also talks about illuminated outdoor performances at night, which must have really been something to behold if these photographs are anything to go by.
She mentions in the preface that the photographer Fred Daniels was primarily a painter. I think that really comes across in his photographs.
Some further info on Margaret Morris.
yes the photos are beautiful aren’t they! I have a copy of the book myself (its rare). In 1910 Margaret Morris established a school to teach her system of dance and movement, Margaret Morris Movement (MMM). I wonder if your mum has connections with MMM?
This year is our centenary – and you can watch one of our performances, or visit an exhibition. There will be rare chances to enjoy performances of Margaret’s own choreography at our summer school at Chichester University in July and also at the Lilian Baylis Theatre, Sadlers Wells on 8 August. Visit our website: margaretmorrismovement.com for more info.
(A hundered years later dancers can still build their own future in dance and movement as a student of MMM. Our qualified teachers will help you to develop and flourish. You can even train as a teacher yourself. Our motto is “dance for all” – all ages and abilities are welcome to join a class!
Comment by Sarah Pearce — February 4, 2010 @ 2:01 pm