Bruce Marks (published 1982)
Dublin Core
Title
Bruce Marks (published 1982)
Description
Marks discusses his role as Prince Siegfried in Swan Lake. He presents his interpretation of a particular scene in Swan Lake where Prince Siegfried spots Odette. Marks speaks about the intuitiveness of the Prince's character, and wishes for more music in the Tchaikovsky score before the pas de deux.
Biographical note:
Marks is a renowned dancer, choreographer, teacher, coach, and arts advocate. Born in New York in 1937, he began his career as a modern dancer specializing in it at the High School of the Performing Arts and then at the Julliard School. He studied ballet at the Metropolitan Opera Ballet School and the School of American Ballet. Marks was promoted to principal at the Metropolitan Opera Ballet in 1958 and was principal at American Ballet Theatre (ABT) from 1961-1971. He and his wife and frequent partner, Toni Lander, resigned from ABT in 1971 to join the Royal Danish Ballet where he was the first American to dance as principal. In 1978 he became the artistic director and principal choreographer of the Ballet West in Salt Lake City. He was artistic director of the Boston Ballet for 12 years beginning in 1985. He left Boston in 1997 but in 2006 emerged from retirement to direct Orlando Ballet, after the sudden death of their director, Fernando Bujones. Marks currently lives in Florida, where he is at work on his autobiography.
Marks is a renowned dancer, choreographer, teacher, coach, and arts advocate. Born in New York in 1937, he began his career as a modern dancer specializing in it at the High School of the Performing Arts and then at the Julliard School. He studied ballet at the Metropolitan Opera Ballet School and the School of American Ballet. Marks was promoted to principal at the Metropolitan Opera Ballet in 1958 and was principal at American Ballet Theatre (ABT) from 1961-1971. He and his wife and frequent partner, Toni Lander, resigned from ABT in 1971 to join the Royal Danish Ballet where he was the first American to dance as principal. In 1978 he became the artistic director and principal choreographer of the Ballet West in Salt Lake City. He was artistic director of the Boston Ballet for 12 years beginning in 1985. He left Boston in 1997 but in 2006 emerged from retirement to direct Orlando Ballet, after the sudden death of their director, Fernando Bujones. Marks currently lives in Florida, where he is at work on his autobiography.
Publisher
Pratt SILS LIS-665, Barbara Newman
Date Created
April 21, 1979
January 29, 1980
January 29, 1980
Rights
Copyright
Access Rights
Restricted. To access full length audio or for further inquiries please visit our contact page.
Relation
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NeO2evl8az8
Is Part Of
Newman, B. (1982). Striking a balance: Dancers talk about dancing. Boston: Houghton Mifflin.
Newman, B. (1992). Striking a balance: Dancers talk about dancing. New York: Limelight Editions
Identifier
marks1979apr21_sidea_clip.mp3
Provenance
Interviews recorded on cassette by Barbara Newman
Rights Holder
Barbara Newman, Bruce Marks
Oral History Item Type Metadata
Original Format
Audio Cassette Tape
Digital Format
mp3
Digital Master
marks1979apr21_sidea.wav
marks1980jan29_sideb.wav
marks1980jan29_sideb.wav
Duration
00:01:48
Bit Rate/Frequency
128 kbps/24 kHz
Interviewer
Barbara Newman
Interviewee
Bruce Marks, 1937-
Location
The Mayflower Hotel, New York, NY
Additional content
"It's become a cliche: "I've felt as if I'd known him all my life." But that's exactly how I felt watching Bruce Marks dance, as if I'd gone to school with him for years and home to meet his family and out to the movies on Saturday nights. Even at his most regal, to me he was a mensch first and a prince afterward. But everyone could see that he peopled his dancing with flesh and blood men, and infused it with the kind of genuine emotion that many people spend their real lives trying to deny. Most dancers refine their art until it looks natural; Marks seemed to refine his nature until it became art," Barbara Newman (1992).
Files
Collection
Citation
“Bruce Marks (published 1982),” Dance Dialogues: Interviews by Barbara Newman, 1979-Present, accessed September 28, 2021, http://dancedialogues.prattsils.org/items/show/34.