Margaret Morris (dancer)
Encyclopedia
Margaret Morris was a British dancer, choreographer and teacher. She was the first proponent of the Isadora Duncan
technique in Great Britain
. She founded the Margaret Morris Movement, Celtic Ballet, and two Scottish National Ballets in Glasgow
(1947) and in Pitlochry
(1960).
, she lived with her parents until the age of five in France
. She had no formal academic education, but went to dancing classes. In 1894 she began reciting professionally in French and later in English, at parties, smoking concerts and court drawing rooms.
In 1899 she had her first stage engagement in pantomime - Little Red Riding Hood
at the Theatre Royal, Plymouth
, playing First Fairy 'Twinkle Star' with solo dances and recitations before a front drop.
In 1900 she joined the Ben Greet
Shakespearian Company and played 'Puck
' in A Midsummer Night's Dream
in the Botanic Gardens, London. She remained with the company for three years, acting and dancing. In 1903 she played child parts in Drury Lane
melodramas and in The Water Babies
at The Garrick Theatre
. Between tours she studied dancing with John D'Auban
, ballet master at Drury Lane. She began to compose dances of her own and at the age of twelve reacted against the limitation of the Italian classical ballet technique. She began creating more natural exercises but realised also that a basic training was necessary. In 1907 she joined the Benson Shakespearian Company
as 'Ingenue Principal Dancer' and understudy to Lady Benson.
In 1909 she met Raymond Duncan, the brother of Isadora Duncan
, who taught her the six Classical Greek dance positions. She adapted and used these as the basis of her own system of movement. In 1910 she choreographed the dances for Gluck's Orpheus and Eurydice
which was staged by Marie Brema
at the Savoy Theatre
in London
. She trained the dancers in her new technique for a month before rehearsals. She also designed the costumes and decor. The Daily Express said "The triumph of the production is Miss Morris's Dance of the Furies, nothing like it has ever been seen on the London stage". That year she also played Water in The Blue Bird
by Maeterlinck at the Haymarket Theatre
. She also produced the dances for Sir Herbert Tree's production of Henry VIII
.
who encouraged her to open her own school in St. Martin's Lane
, London
. That same year she toured with her own company, first called "Margaret Morris and her Dancing Children". In 1911 she was the choreographer and principal dancer for The Little Dream, a fantasy by John Galsworthy
, at Annie Horniman
's Gaiety Theatre
, Manchester
. She also created the dancing scenery for Rutland Boughton's Opera
The Birth of Arthur at the Winter Gardens, Bournemouth
.
In 1912 she created the part of Guinevere Megan in The Pigeon by John Galsworthy
at The Royal Theatre
, acting with Gladys Cooper
and Dennis Eadie. That same year she had a season at The Royal Court Theatre
, London
where she performed such ballets as Callisto by Maurice Hewlett
and The Little Dreams by John Galsworthy
. She started the first small theatre in London
- Kings Road
, Chelsea
- giving Christmas Seasons for Children performed by children, including Angela
and Hermione Baddeley
and Phyllis Calvert
. She won acclaim from the press as the first woman 'actor, manager' and the youngest, as she was only 21. In 1913 she took a troupe to Paris
to dance at the Théâtre Marigny
on the Champs Elysees. In 1915, she produced at her theatre an interpretation of Beethoven's 7th Symphony, costumes designed by J D Fergusson and subsequently performed with full orchestra at Bournemouth Winter Gardens
and at Harrogate
.
In 1917 she started the first Summer School at Devon
which has since been held annually to the present date except for the war years. In 1922 she started the first 'Educational School' in England to combine normal educational subjects with educational training in dancing and acting. John Duncan Fergusson
became the art director of all her schools. Painting and design became an integral part of the students curriculum which already included acting, dance composition and improvisation, normal educational subjects and her system of Dance Notation.
The syllabus followed at her schools (as of 1925):
The Margaret Morris Movement was chosen to represent Britain at the 1931 Dance Festival in Florence
, Italy
.
in Physiotherapy which she passed with distinction in 1930. She had great value in the value of her system for the handicapped, believing that "the more normal you make people feel the normal they would become". She extended her exercises into sports training, writing a book with the tennis star Suzanne Lenglen
, and tried to have her methods accepted in schools by the education authorities. Although she achieved only limited acceptance in this area, her influence was immense on the modern practice of physical education, on remedial work, and in choreographic innovation. In 1937, she became a founder member of National Advisory Council of Physical Training and Recreation.
. In 1954, the Celtic Ballet toured the United States and performed at Ted Shawn's
Jacob's Pillow
dance festival. Between 1958 and 1959 the Celtic Ballet performed at festivals in Russia
, Austria
and Czechoslovakia
. In 1960 she formed the Scottish National ballet and appeared at the festival Theatre, Pitlochry
.
as a young woman, and her long-term partnership with the Scottish artist John Duncan Fergusson
did not rule out other liaisons. She met Fergusson in Paris in 1913 and he later became her husband and was an important influence on her work. He introduced her to the Paris
art world and with her in 1915 founded the Margarent Morris Club in Chelsea
, which quickly became the focus for the remnants of the pre-war avant garde in London
. Members included Augustus John
, Jacob Epstein
, Katherine Mansfield
, Ezra Pound
, Siegfried Sassoon
, Wyndham Lewis
and Charles Rennie Mackintosh
among others. This group, after the war, were involved in organising a Labour Party connected collective known as the 'Arts League of Service' which aimed to bring the arts into everyday life.
at the Metropole Theatre, Glasgow
. In 1973 the 'Margaret Morris Movement' film was made by the Scottish Arts Council
. Margaret Morris died in Glasgow on 29 February 1980, aged 89.
Margaret Morris made a unique contribution to the development and teaching of dance in England and abroad. Margaret’s original interest in creating her own exercise and dance movement was based on her desire to devise a technique that was more natural to perform than ballet. Over those early years the breadth of movement she created encompassed a diverse scope of exercise, dance and movement training with an extensive range of elements and levels designed to include all ages and abilities.
From those pioneering roots Margaret became aware of the need for health education and the value of providing clear explanation to gain the most benefit from each exercise. She found that the body quickly responded to this precise systematic training and provide the students with strong lean toned bodies, increased thoracic capacity, bone density, mobility and heart rate. At the same time students’ posture, balance, concentration level and co-ordination improved. Free movement expression and composition were integrated throughout the technique providing the basis for choreography as well as many psychological benefits.
Isadora Duncan
Isadora Duncan was a dancer, considered by many to be the creator of modern dance. Born in the United States, she lived in Western Europe and the Soviet Union from the age of 22 until her death at age 50. In the United States she was popular only in New York, and only later in her life...
technique in Great Britain
Great Britain
Great Britain or Britain is an island situated to the northwest of Continental Europe. It is the ninth largest island in the world, and the largest European island, as well as the largest of the British Isles...
. She founded the Margaret Morris Movement, Celtic Ballet, and two Scottish National Ballets in Glasgow
Glasgow
Glasgow is the largest city in Scotland and third most populous in the United Kingdom. The city is situated on the River Clyde in the country's west central lowlands...
(1947) and in Pitlochry
Pitlochry
Pitlochry , is a burgh in the council area of Perth and Kinross, Scotland, lying on the River Tummel. Its population according to the 2001 census was 2,564....
(1960).
Early life
Although she was born in LondonLondon
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
, she lived with her parents until the age of five in France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
. She had no formal academic education, but went to dancing classes. In 1894 she began reciting professionally in French and later in English, at parties, smoking concerts and court drawing rooms.
In 1899 she had her first stage engagement in pantomime - Little Red Riding Hood
Little Red Riding Hood
Little Red Riding Hood, also known as Little Red Cap, is a French fairy tale about a young girl and a Big Bad Wolf. The story has been changed considerably in its history and subject to numerous modern adaptations and readings....
at the Theatre Royal, Plymouth
Theatre Royal, Plymouth
The Theatre Royal in Plymouth, Devon, England is "the largest and best attended regional producing theatre in the UK and the leading promoter of theatre in the south west", according to Arts Council England...
, playing First Fairy 'Twinkle Star' with solo dances and recitations before a front drop.
In 1900 she joined the Ben Greet
Ben Greet
Sir Philip Barling "Ben" Greet was a Shakespearean actor, director, and impresario.-Early life:The younger son of Captain William Greet RN and his wife, Sarah Barling, Greet was born on board HMS Crocodile, a Royal Navy recruiting ship tied up at the Tower of London. He was educated at the Royal...
Shakespearian Company and played 'Puck
Puck (Shakespeare)
Puck, also known as Robin Goodfellow, is a character in William Shakespeare's play A Midsummer Night's Dream that was based on the ancient figure in English mythology, also called Puck. Puck is a clever and mischievous elf and personifies the trickster or the wise knave...
' in A Midsummer Night's Dream
A Midsummer Night's Dream
A Midsummer Night's Dream is a play that was written by William Shakespeare. It is believed to have been written between 1590 and 1596. It portrays the events surrounding the marriage of the Duke of Athens, Theseus, and the Queen of the Amazons, Hippolyta...
in the Botanic Gardens, London. She remained with the company for three years, acting and dancing. In 1903 she played child parts in Drury Lane
Drury Lane
Drury Lane is a street on the eastern boundary of the Covent Garden area of London, running between Aldwych and High Holborn. The northern part is in the borough of Camden and the southern part in the City of Westminster....
melodramas and in The Water Babies
The Water Babies
The Water Babies may refer to:* The Water-Babies, A Fairy Tale for a Land Baby, a novel published in 1863* The Water Babies , a 1978 animated film based on the novel* Water Babies , a 1976 album by Miles Davis...
at The Garrick Theatre
Garrick Theatre
The Garrick Theatre is a West End theatre, located on Charing Cross Road, in the City of Westminster. It opened on 24 April 1889 with The Profligate, a play by Arthur Wing Pinero. In its early years, it appears to have specialised in the performance of melodrama, and today the theatre is a...
. Between tours she studied dancing with John D'Auban
John D'Auban
Frederick John D'Auban was an English dancer, choreographer and actor of the Victorian and Edwardian eras. Famous during his lifetime as the ballet-master at the Theatre Royal, Drury Lane, he is best remembered as the choreographer of many of the Gilbert and Sullivan operas.After performing as a...
, ballet master at Drury Lane. She began to compose dances of her own and at the age of twelve reacted against the limitation of the Italian classical ballet technique. She began creating more natural exercises but realised also that a basic training was necessary. In 1907 she joined the Benson Shakespearian Company
Francis Robert Benson
Sir Francis Robert Benson , commonly known as Frank Benson or F. R. Benson, was a British actor-manager...
as 'Ingenue Principal Dancer' and understudy to Lady Benson.
In 1909 she met Raymond Duncan, the brother of Isadora Duncan
Isadora Duncan
Isadora Duncan was a dancer, considered by many to be the creator of modern dance. Born in the United States, she lived in Western Europe and the Soviet Union from the age of 22 until her death at age 50. In the United States she was popular only in New York, and only later in her life...
, who taught her the six Classical Greek dance positions. She adapted and used these as the basis of her own system of movement. In 1910 she choreographed the dances for Gluck's Orpheus and Eurydice
Orfeo ed Euridice
Orfeo ed Euridice is an opera composed by Christoph Willibald Gluck based on the myth of Orpheus, set to a libretto by Ranieri de' Calzabigi. It belongs to the genre of the azione teatrale, meaning an opera on a mythological subject with choruses and dancing...
which was staged by Marie Brema
Marie Brema
Marie Brema was an English dramatic mezzo-soprano singer in concert, operatic and oratorio work in the last decade of the 19th and the first decade of the 20th centuries...
at the Savoy Theatre
Savoy Theatre
The Savoy Theatre is a West End theatre located in the Strand in the City of Westminster, London, England. The theatre opened on 10 October 1881 and was built by Richard D'Oyly Carte on the site of the old Savoy Palace as a showcase for the popular series of comic operas of Gilbert and Sullivan,...
in London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
. She trained the dancers in her new technique for a month before rehearsals. She also designed the costumes and decor. The Daily Express said "The triumph of the production is Miss Morris's Dance of the Furies, nothing like it has ever been seen on the London stage". That year she also played Water in The Blue Bird
The Blue Bird
The Blue Bird may refer to:* The Blue Bird , by Maurice Maeterlinck** The Blue Bird , multiple adaptations of this play* "The Blue Bird" , by Madame d'Aulnoy...
by Maeterlinck at the Haymarket Theatre
Haymarket Theatre
The Theatre Royal Haymarket is a West End theatre in the Haymarket in the City of Westminster which dates back to 1720, making it the third-oldest London playhouse still in use...
. She also produced the dances for Sir Herbert Tree's production of Henry VIII
Henry VIII of England
Henry VIII was King of England from 21 April 1509 until his death. He was Lord, and later King, of Ireland, as well as continuing the nominal claim by the English monarchs to the Kingdom of France...
.
Margaret Morris Movement
In 1913, she met John GalsworthyJohn Galsworthy
John Galsworthy OM was an English novelist and playwright. Notable works include The Forsyte Saga and its sequels, A Modern Comedy and End of the Chapter...
who encouraged her to open her own school in St. Martin's Lane
St. Martin's Lane
St. Martin's Lane is a street on the edge of Covent Garden in Central London, which runs from the church of St. Martin-in-the-Fields, after which it is named, near Trafalgar Square northwards to Long Acre.A narrow street with relatively little traffic, St...
, London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
. That same year she toured with her own company, first called "Margaret Morris and her Dancing Children". In 1911 she was the choreographer and principal dancer for The Little Dream, a fantasy by John Galsworthy
John Galsworthy
John Galsworthy OM was an English novelist and playwright. Notable works include The Forsyte Saga and its sequels, A Modern Comedy and End of the Chapter...
, at Annie Horniman
Annie Horniman
Annie Elizabeth Fredericka Horniman CH was an English theatre patron and manager. She established the Abbey Theatre in Dublin and founded the first regional repertory theatre company in Britain at the Gaiety Theatre in Manchester. She encouraged the work of new writers and playwrights, including...
's Gaiety Theatre
Gaiety Theatre, Manchester
The Gaiety Theatre, Manchester was a theatre in Manchester, England. It was opened in 1884 and demolished in 1959. It replaced a previous Gaiety Theatre on the site which had been destroyed by fire....
, Manchester
Manchester
Manchester is a city and metropolitan borough in Greater Manchester, England. According to the Office for National Statistics, the 2010 mid-year population estimate for Manchester was 498,800. Manchester lies within one of the UK's largest metropolitan areas, the metropolitan county of Greater...
. She also created the dancing scenery for Rutland Boughton's Opera
Rutland Boughton
Rutland Boughton was an English composer who became well known in the early 20th century as a composer of opera and choral music....
The Birth of Arthur at the Winter Gardens, Bournemouth
Bournemouth
Bournemouth is a large coastal resort town in the ceremonial county of Dorset, England. According to the 2001 Census the town has a population of 163,444, making it the largest settlement in Dorset. It is also the largest settlement between Southampton and Plymouth...
.
In 1912 she created the part of Guinevere Megan in The Pigeon by John Galsworthy
John Galsworthy
John Galsworthy OM was an English novelist and playwright. Notable works include The Forsyte Saga and its sequels, A Modern Comedy and End of the Chapter...
at The Royal Theatre
Royal Theatre
There are several venues known by the name Royal Theatre or Royal Theater. They include:in Canada*Royal Theatre in Victoria, British Columbia, Canadain Denmark...
, acting with Gladys Cooper
Gladys Cooper
Dame Gladys Constance Cooper, DBE was an English actress whose career spanned seven decades on stage, in films and on television....
and Dennis Eadie. That same year she had a season at The Royal Court Theatre
Royal Court Theatre
The Royal Court Theatre is a non-commercial theatre on Sloane Square, in the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea. It is noted for its contributions to modern theatre...
, London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
where she performed such ballets as Callisto by Maurice Hewlett
Maurice Hewlett
Maurice Henry Hewlett , was an English historical novelist, poet and essayist. He was born at Weybridge, the eldest son of Henry Gay Hewlett, of Shaw Hall, Addington, Kent. He was educated at the London International College, Spring Grove, Isleworth, and was called to the bar in 1891. He gave up...
and The Little Dreams by John Galsworthy
John Galsworthy
John Galsworthy OM was an English novelist and playwright. Notable works include The Forsyte Saga and its sequels, A Modern Comedy and End of the Chapter...
. She started the first small theatre in London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
- Kings Road
Kings Road
King's Road or Kings Road, known popularly as The King's Road or The KR, is a major, well-known street stretching through Chelsea and Fulham, both in west London, England...
, Chelsea
Chelsea, London
Chelsea is an area of West London, England, bounded to the south by the River Thames, where its frontage runs from Chelsea Bridge along the Chelsea Embankment, Cheyne Walk, Lots Road and Chelsea Harbour. Its eastern boundary was once defined by the River Westbourne, which is now in a pipe above...
- giving Christmas Seasons for Children performed by children, including Angela
Angela Baddeley
Angela Baddeley, CBE , born Madeline Angela Clinton-Baddeley, was an English actress best remembered for her role as Mrs Bridges in the period drama Upstairs, Downstairs...
and Hermione Baddeley
Hermione Baddeley
Hermione Baddeley was an English character actress of theatre, film and television. She was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress for her performance in Room at the Top and a Tony Award for Best Performance by a Leading Actress in a Play for The Milk Train Doesn't Stop Here...
and Phyllis Calvert
Phyllis Calvert
Phyllis Calvert was an English film, stage and television actress. She was one of the leading stars of the Gainsborough melodramas of the 1940s....
. She won acclaim from the press as the first woman 'actor, manager' and the youngest, as she was only 21. In 1913 she took a troupe to Paris
Paris
Paris is the capital and largest city in France, situated on the river Seine, in northern France, at the heart of the Île-de-France region...
to dance at the Théâtre Marigny
Théâtre Marigny
The Théâtre Marigny is a theatre in Paris, situated near the junction of the Champs-Élysées and the Avenue Marigny, in the 8th arrondissement. It was originally built to designs of the architect Charles Garnier for the display of a panorama, which opened in 1883...
on the Champs Elysees. In 1915, she produced at her theatre an interpretation of Beethoven's 7th Symphony, costumes designed by J D Fergusson and subsequently performed with full orchestra at Bournemouth Winter Gardens
Bournemouth
Bournemouth is a large coastal resort town in the ceremonial county of Dorset, England. According to the 2001 Census the town has a population of 163,444, making it the largest settlement in Dorset. It is also the largest settlement between Southampton and Plymouth...
and at Harrogate
Harrogate
Harrogate is a spa town in North Yorkshire, England. The town is a tourist destination and its visitor attractions include its spa waters, RHS Harlow Carr gardens, and Betty's Tea Rooms. From the town one can explore the nearby Yorkshire Dales national park. Harrogate originated in the 17th...
.
In 1917 she started the first Summer School at Devon
Devon
Devon is a large county in southwestern England. The county is sometimes referred to as Devonshire, although the term is rarely used inside the county itself as the county has never been officially "shired", it often indicates a traditional or historical context.The county shares borders with...
which has since been held annually to the present date except for the war years. In 1922 she started the first 'Educational School' in England to combine normal educational subjects with educational training in dancing and acting. John Duncan Fergusson
John Duncan Fergusson
John Duncan Fergusson was a Scottish artist, regarded as one of the major artists of the Scottish Colourists school of painting.- Early life :...
became the art director of all her schools. Painting and design became an integral part of the students curriculum which already included acting, dance composition and improvisation, normal educational subjects and her system of Dance Notation.
"I first realised the absolute necessity of relating movement with form and colour when studying painting of the modern movement in Paris in 1913. From that time I incorporated it as one of the main studies in my school. In this connection I am deeply indebted to J D Ferguson, the painter, who for years has taught the painting design and sculpture in my school and who first made me realise the possibilities of theatrical work considered from the visual point of view, and the value of the study of form and colour as a means of education."
The syllabus followed at her schools (as of 1925):
- The Margaret Morris method of physical culture and dancing
- Dance composition
- Theory of movement : Breathing
- Theory of practice of teaching
- Paining, design and sculpture
- Notation of movement
- Property and mask making
- Dressmaking
- Music training
- Class singing
- Musical composition
- Literature; study of words; writing of plays and poems; essays
- Diction and acting
- Lecturing and discussion
- Stage management, including lighting
- Production of play and ballets
- General organisation and business management
- Swimming
- Ballroom dancing
The Margaret Morris Movement was chosen to represent Britain at the 1931 Dance Festival in Florence
Florence
Florence is the capital city of the Italian region of Tuscany and of the province of Florence. It is the most populous city in Tuscany, with approximately 370,000 inhabitants, expanding to over 1.5 million in the metropolitan area....
, Italy
Italy
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
.
Dancing as exercise
In 1922 she began an interest in the remedial aspects of movement. In 1925 she gave her first lecture demonstration to doctors in London on the remedial possibilities of her exercises. She took acourse at St Thomas' HospitalSt Thomas' Hospital
St Thomas' Hospital is a large NHS hospital in London, England. It is administratively a part of Guy's & St Thomas' NHS Foundation Trust. It has provided health care freely or under charitable auspices since the 12th century and was originally located in Southwark.St Thomas' Hospital is accessible...
in Physiotherapy which she passed with distinction in 1930. She had great value in the value of her system for the handicapped, believing that "the more normal you make people feel the normal they would become". She extended her exercises into sports training, writing a book with the tennis star Suzanne Lenglen
Suzanne Lenglen
Suzanne Rachel Flore Lenglen was a French tennis player who won 31 Championship titles between 1914 and 1926...
, and tried to have her methods accepted in schools by the education authorities. Although she achieved only limited acceptance in this area, her influence was immense on the modern practice of physical education, on remedial work, and in choreographic innovation. In 1937, she became a founder member of National Advisory Council of Physical Training and Recreation.
Ballet
In 1940 she formed the Celtic Ballet Club and produced several big ballets for war charities. In 1947 she formed a small professional company - Celtic Ballet of Scotland - and toured in Glasgow and France. The Celtic Ballet utilised both Margaret's own technique and Scottish country and Highland dance movements. In 1951, the Celtic Ballet had a season at the Theatre Royal, GlasgowTheatre Royal, Glasgow
The Theatre Royal is the oldest theatre in Glasgow, located at 282 Hope Street in Cowcaddens. The theatre originally opened in 1867, changing its name to the Theatre Royal in 1869, and is the longest running theatre in Scotland...
. In 1954, the Celtic Ballet toured the United States and performed at Ted Shawn's
Ted Shawn
Ted Shawn , originally Edwin Myers Shawn, was one of the first notable male pioneers of American modern dance. Along with creating Denishawn with former wife Ruth St. Denis he is also responsible for the creation of the well known all-male company Ted Shawn and His Men Dancers...
Jacob's Pillow
Jacob's Pillow
Jacob’s Pillow Dance is a dance center, school and performance space located in Becket, Massachusetts, in the Berkshires. The organization is known for the oldest internationally acclaimed summer dance festival in the United States. The facility also includes a professional school and extensive...
dance festival. Between 1958 and 1959 the Celtic Ballet performed at festivals in Russia
Russia
Russia or , officially known as both Russia and the Russian Federation , is a country in northern Eurasia. It is a federal semi-presidential republic, comprising 83 federal subjects...
, Austria
Austria
Austria , officially the Republic of Austria , is a landlocked country of roughly 8.4 million people in Central Europe. It is bordered by the Czech Republic and Germany to the north, Slovakia and Hungary to the east, Slovenia and Italy to the south, and Switzerland and Liechtenstein to the...
and Czechoslovakia
Czechoslovakia
Czechoslovakia or Czecho-Slovakia was a sovereign state in Central Europe which existed from October 1918, when it declared its independence from the Austro-Hungarian Empire, until 1992...
. In 1960 she formed the Scottish National ballet and appeared at the festival Theatre, Pitlochry
Pitlochry
Pitlochry , is a burgh in the council area of Perth and Kinross, Scotland, lying on the River Tummel. Its population according to the 2001 census was 2,564....
.
Personal life
Her personal life was colourful; she was bohemian in spirit. She had an affair with the writer John GalsworthyJohn Galsworthy
John Galsworthy OM was an English novelist and playwright. Notable works include The Forsyte Saga and its sequels, A Modern Comedy and End of the Chapter...
as a young woman, and her long-term partnership with the Scottish artist John Duncan Fergusson
John Duncan Fergusson
John Duncan Fergusson was a Scottish artist, regarded as one of the major artists of the Scottish Colourists school of painting.- Early life :...
did not rule out other liaisons. She met Fergusson in Paris in 1913 and he later became her husband and was an important influence on her work. He introduced her to the Paris
Paris
Paris is the capital and largest city in France, situated on the river Seine, in northern France, at the heart of the Île-de-France region...
art world and with her in 1915 founded the Margarent Morris Club in Chelsea
Chelsea, London
Chelsea is an area of West London, England, bounded to the south by the River Thames, where its frontage runs from Chelsea Bridge along the Chelsea Embankment, Cheyne Walk, Lots Road and Chelsea Harbour. Its eastern boundary was once defined by the River Westbourne, which is now in a pipe above...
, which quickly became the focus for the remnants of the pre-war avant garde in London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
. Members included Augustus John
Augustus John
Augustus Edwin John OM, RA, was a Welsh painter, draughtsman, and etcher. For a short time around 1910, he was an important exponent of Post-Impressionism in the United Kingdom....
, Jacob Epstein
Jacob Epstein
Sir Jacob Epstein KBE was an American-born British sculptor who helped pioneer modern sculpture. He was born in the United States, and moved to Europe in 1902, becoming a British citizen in 1911. He often produced controversial works which challenged taboos on what was appropriate subject matter...
, Katherine Mansfield
Katherine Mansfield
Kathleen Mansfield Beauchamp Murry was a prominent modernist writer of short fiction who was born and brought up in colonial New Zealand and wrote under the pen name of Katherine Mansfield. Mansfield left for Great Britain in 1908 where she encountered Modernist writers such as D.H. Lawrence and...
, Ezra Pound
Ezra Pound
Ezra Weston Loomis Pound was an American expatriate poet and critic and a major figure in the early modernist movement in poetry...
, Siegfried Sassoon
Siegfried Sassoon
Siegfried Loraine Sassoon CBE MC was an English poet, author and soldier. Decorated for bravery on the Western Front, he became one of the leading poets of the First World War. His poetry both described the horrors of the trenches, and satirised the patriotic pretensions of those who, in Sassoon's...
, Wyndham Lewis
Wyndham Lewis
Percy Wyndham Lewis was an English painter and author . He was a co-founder of the Vorticist movement in art, and edited the literary magazine of the Vorticists, BLAST...
and Charles Rennie Mackintosh
Charles Rennie Mackintosh
Charles Rennie Mackintosh was a Scottish architect, designer, watercolourist and artist. He was a designer in the Arts and Crafts movement and also the main representative of Art Nouveau in the United Kingdom. He had a considerable influence on European design...
among others. This group, after the war, were involved in organising a Labour Party connected collective known as the 'Arts League of Service' which aimed to bring the arts into everyday life.
Later years and legacy
In 1961, after the death of her husband, the Glasgow School was closed. In 1972, at the age of 81, Margaret was asked to train the dancers in the hit musical HairHair (musical)
Hair: The American Tribal Love-Rock Musical is a rock musical with a book and lyrics by James Rado and Gerome Ragni and music by Galt MacDermot. A product of the hippie counter-culture and sexual revolution of the 1960s, several of its songs became anthems of the anti-Vietnam War peace movement...
at the Metropole Theatre, Glasgow
Glasgow
Glasgow is the largest city in Scotland and third most populous in the United Kingdom. The city is situated on the River Clyde in the country's west central lowlands...
. In 1973 the 'Margaret Morris Movement' film was made by the Scottish Arts Council
Scottish Arts Council
The Scottish Arts Council is a Scottish public body that distributes funding from the Scottish Government, and is the leading national organisation for the funding, development and promotion of the arts in Scotland...
. Margaret Morris died in Glasgow on 29 February 1980, aged 89.
Margaret Morris made a unique contribution to the development and teaching of dance in England and abroad. Margaret’s original interest in creating her own exercise and dance movement was based on her desire to devise a technique that was more natural to perform than ballet. Over those early years the breadth of movement she created encompassed a diverse scope of exercise, dance and movement training with an extensive range of elements and levels designed to include all ages and abilities.
From those pioneering roots Margaret became aware of the need for health education and the value of providing clear explanation to gain the most benefit from each exercise. She found that the body quickly responded to this precise systematic training and provide the students with strong lean toned bodies, increased thoracic capacity, bone density, mobility and heart rate. At the same time students’ posture, balance, concentration level and co-ordination improved. Free movement expression and composition were integrated throughout the technique providing the basis for choreography as well as many psychological benefits.
Choreographed works
- The Forsaken Mermaid, music by Erik ChisholmErik ChisholmProfessor Erik William Chisholm was a Scottish composer and conductor often known as "Scotland’s forgotten composer"...
(1940)
- The subject of this ballet is the old fairy-tale about a fisherman who falls in love with a mermaid, deserts her and is finally reunited to her at the bottom of the sea. It is the tale of that masterpiece of fantasy, Rimsky-Korsakov'sNikolai Rimsky-KorsakovNikolai Andreyevich Rimsky-Korsakov was a Russian composer, and a member of the group of composers known as The Five.The Five, also known as The Mighty Handful or The Mighty Coterie, refers to a circle of composers who met in Saint Petersburg, Russia, in the years 1856–1870: Mily Balakirev , César...
SadkoSadko (opera)Sadko is an opera in seven scenes by Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov. The libretto was written by the composer, with assistance from Vladimir Belsky, Vladimir Stasov, and others. Rimsky-Korsakov was first inspired by the bylina of Sadko in 1867, when he completed a tone poem on the subject, his Op. 5...
.- The Earth Shapers, music by Erik ChisholmErik ChisholmProfessor Erik William Chisholm was a Scottish composer and conductor often known as "Scotland’s forgotten composer"...
(1941) - The Hoodie Craw, music by Erik ChisholmErik ChisholmProfessor Erik William Chisholm was a Scottish composer and conductor often known as "Scotland’s forgotten composer"...
(1948)
- The Earth Shapers, music by Erik Chisholm
Writings
- Margaret Morris dancing by Margaret Morris (1925)
- My Galsworthy Story by Margaret Morris (1967)
- Morris, Margaret (1969) My Life in Movement ISBN 0720652081
- Creation in Dance and Life by Margaret Morris (1972)
- The Art of J D Fergusson by Margaret Morris (1974)
Films
- Dance of the Moods (1924) filmed by Claude Friese-GreeneClaude Friese-GreeneClaude Friese-Greene , British-born cinema technician, filmmaker, and cinematographer, most famous for his 1926 collection of films entitled The Open Road....
in early color film process Bioscope - Margaret Morris Movement (1973) film by Scottish Arts Council