Famed Choreographer Mark Morris Sends Marjorie Folkman to Phillips Academy Campus

Folkman teaches Andover Dance Group the Morris piece titled "Bedtime"

February 03, 2009 -- Marjorie Folkman, a former dancer with the Mark Morris Dance Group, recently completed a residency with the PA Department of Music and Department of Theatre and Dance.  Folkman, who stayed on campus for the last two weeks of January, taught 12 members of the Andover Dance Group Bedtime by Mark Morris.  Her residency sets the stage for a much-anticipated visit by the internationally renowned choreographer himself in early spring.

Folkman, whose mother, Paula (Prial) Folkman, is a member of the Abbot Academy Class of ’54, strongly identified with the dance students on campus. An alumna of the Winsor School in Boston, Folkman believes dancers can be “serious about dancing and serious about academics—they aren’t mutually exclusive.” Having performed with the likes of Mikhail Baryshnikov and danced for such acclaimed choreographers as Sara Rudner and Kraig Patterson, she is also a summa cum laude graduate of Barnard College and is currently pursuing a master’s degree in American history at Columbia University.

According Judith Wombwell, instructor of dance and theater, the dance students are sad to see Folkman go. “They were so excited to work with Marjorie.  She really brought Mark Morris’s work to life for them.” The residency, which is sponsored by the visiting artist program of the Bernard and Mildred Kayden Fund, will culminate in a visit by Mark Morris, which will be open to the public. Please stay tuned for further details.