Mark Morris Dance Group
MOON
West Coast Premiere
A Cal Performances Co-commission
Wendall K. Harrington, projections
Isaac Mizrahi, costumes
Mike Faba, lighting design
Colin Fowler, musical director, keyboards
Michel Taddei, double bass
“With gorgeously impressionist lighting… intriguing outer space projections… elegant costumes… and little toy spacemen scattered about, [Morris’] MOON became a luxuriant dreamlike escape…. Most important of all, his company [has] never been better, and the dancers themselves provided the real fantasy. Otherworldly movement somehow matched the different music in ways that seem rational but not needing to make sense. Movement, itself, was adventure.… The genius of MOON, however, is to remind us that wonder can be around the least expected corners.”
—Los Angeles Times
It’s hard to predict the next source of inspiration for the dizzyingly prolific and singularly creative choreographer Mark Morris—will it be an iconic Beatles album, a Baroque masterpiece, a biblical story?
This time, Morris looks upward—at the Moon!—to explore our fascination with our constant celestial companion. A multimedia extravaganza danced before a backdrop featuring video, animation, and photo stills of the Moon, this new piece for nine dancers is set to live and recorded music that includes popular American songbook tunes, as well as excerpts from NASA’s Golden Record—a gold-plated copper phonograph record that was launched into space on the Voyager 1 and Voyager 2 spacecrafts in 1977, carrying sounds and images of Earth as a message to any potential extraterrestrial life. The live music features selections from Claude Debussy’s Clair de Lune, Marcel Dupré’s 24 Inventions, Op. 50 and György Ligeti’s Musica ricercata, performed on piano, organ, and double bass.
“MOON is classic Morris; full of whimsy and also weirdness.…The dancers responded with genuine joy…beautifully, harmoniously gliding by—and sometimes into—each other like the movement of celestial bodies (Broadway World).
🎶 This performance features live music.
MOON is commissioned by the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts in partnership with Arizona Arts Live, University of Arizona; Cal Performances, UC Berkeley; Krannert Center for the Performing Arts, University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign; and Mark Morris Dance Group.
The January 23rd performance of Mark Morris Dance Group is made possible, in part, by Helen and John Meyer.
The run time for this performance is approximately 55 minutes without intermission.
For Blind and Visually Impaired Patrons
Live audio description headsets are available for the Sun, Jan 25 performance. These services can be reserved when purchasing tickets online or by contacting the Ticket Office at 510.642.9988. Learn more on our Accessibility page
Fri–Sat, Jan 23–24, 8pm
Sun, Jan 25, 3pm
There is a $15 per order service charge on single ticket purchases that partially underwrites the cost of our ticketing platform, credit card processing, Ticket Office staffing, and ticket delivery. To avoid this fee, tickets can be purchased in person at our Ticket Office during our regular office hours. Note: there is a $20 service charge for all subscription orders.
Parking Alert
Parking may be a problem on campus for the Sunday, January 25 matinee performance due to a 3pm Cal Women’s basketball game.
Most, if not all, University parking lots will be reserved for game patrons and city-owned lots may have a limited number of spots available. Traffic will be heavy. We advise you to arrive early and to seriously consider alternative transportation.
Please see our Parking Alert section for more information.
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Fri–Sat, Jan 23–24, 8pm
Sun, Jan 25, 3pm
Mark Morris Dance Group
MOON
West Coast Premiere
A Cal Performances Co-commission
No longer on sale online
* There is a $15 per order service charge on ticket purchases made by phone or online that are not part of a subscription package, and a $20 service charge on all subscription orders. There is no fee for tickets purchased in person at the Zellerbach Hall Ticket Office unless they are part of a subscription. This fee helps to underwrite the cost of providing services online and by phone, as well as programs needed for digital order delivery.