Out Loud: A Memoir

Choreographer Morris recalls his dance career in this candid memoir. Born in Seattle, Wash., in 1956, Morris writes that by age 11, “dancing was already all that mattered.” After high school, he traveled to Europe, where he performed ballet in Madrid and came out to his mother in an aerogram that read: “I am gay!” After moving New York, he and a group of friends formed the Mark Morris Dance Group in 1980. A New Yorker article boosted his notoriety and, in 1988, Morris was hired as the director of dance at the royal theatre in Brussels. Unimpressed with the Belgians, and outspoken as ever, he referred to Belgian culture in the press as “racist, sexist, homophobic,” and nearly lost his job for it. Coauthored by novelist Stace (Wonderkid), who ably captures the subject’s lively personality, Morris recalls his artistic achievements—including founding the White Oak Dance Project with Mikhail Baryshnikov in 1990 and the Mark Morris Dance Center in 2001—and discusses his eclectic influences (televangelist faith healers, “hillbilly music”). Morris is an astute and witty storyteller, as he shares opinions on everything from popular music (it’s “numbing”) to houseguests (“If you want to stay with me, you have to sleep with me”). Fans of modern dance are sure to enjoy this colorful, often humorous memoir. (Oct.)