The American choreographer presents four Australian premieres at first Sydney appearances since 2003.

As a choreographer and dancer Mark Morris is one of the world’s most hallowed artists, but Morris is also a deeply committed advocate of live music and now, aged 58, is a more regular fixture in the pit than the stage, as the conductor of the Mark Morris Dance Group’s resident music ensemble.

Having toured to Australia once already in 2015, with a sold-out season of Mozart Dances at the Perth International Festival, the Mark Morris Dance Group are now appearing on the east coast for the first time since 2003. The company will present the Australian premiere of four original works of Morris repertoire: A Wooden Tree, Festival Dance, Pacific, and Morris’ most recent work, Whelm, set to the music of Debussy.

Morris has been an outspoken supporter of the use of live performance over pre-recorded soundtracks for dance throughout his 35-year career, and the Mark Morris Dance Group has the distinction of being the only modern dance company in the world who performs exclusively with live music. This has led the dance troupe to collaborate with some of the world’s...