Rhee Gold is excited to welcome Bruce Marks, a former principal dancer with American Ballet Theatre and the Royal Danish Ballet who went on to lead Boston Ballet, to the faculty of the DanceLife Teacher Conference.

“We strive to bring the most respected dance educators available to those who attend the DanceLife Teacher Conference,” Gold says, “and Bruce Marks certainly fills that bill!”

Marks will be teaching ballet technique and variations and will take part in panel discussions at the conference, from July 30 to August 2 at the Phoenician Resort in Scottsdale, Arizona.

The conference features motivational and business seminars, along with special classes for teachers in curriculum and teaching techniques. To learn more or to register, visit www.dancelifeteacherconference.com or call 888.i.dance.9 (508.285.6650).

About Bruce Marks
Bruce Marks, a native of New York City, was trained at the New York High School of Performing Arts, Brandeis University, and The Juilliard School. At 14, he began his performing career when he created the role of the young boy in Pearl Lang’s Rites. He continued his ballet training with Margaret Craske, Antony Tudor, and Mattlyn Gavers at the Metropolitan Opera School and joined the company’s corps de ballet in 1956, becoming premier danseur in 1958.

After appearing at the Spoleto Festival of Two Worlds in 1959, in a company organized by Herbert Ross and Nora Kaye, Marks joined American Ballet Theatre in 1961. He soon became one of the most respected and versatile of ABT’s male contingent, excelling in both modern and classical ballets. Shortly after his arrival, he was promoted to principal dancer. He created one of the two leading male roles in the American premiere of Harald Lander’s Études, as well as the leading role of Prince Siegfried in ABT’s first full-length production of Swan Lake. Marks was the first to be entrusted with the roles of José Limón when he danced The Moor’s Pavane and The Traitor for ABT.

During his ten years with ABT, Marks appeared as guest artist with the Royal Swedish Ballet (1963-64) and London Festival Ballet (1965). In 1971, he became the first American principal dancer of the Royal Danish Ballet. He remained with the company for five years, mastering the 19th-century works of August Bournonville.

Marks has partnered some of the world’s great ballerinas, including Natalia Makarova, Cynthia Gregory, Eva Evdokimova, Maria Tallchief, Lupe Serrano, Violette Verdy, Melissa Hayden, and Toni Lander, whom he married in 1966.

In 1976, Marks became co-artistic director of Ballet West at the invitation of founder Willam Christensen. Following Christensen’s retirement in 1978, he was named artistic director. The company flourished under Marks, who left his distinctive stamp with the addition to the repertory of works by Bournonville and George Balanchine, plus full-length 19th-century classics and modern dance.
In 1985 Marks and Toni Lander recreated and staged a “lost” 1855 Bournonville ballet, Abdallah. The production had its East Coast premiere at Washington’s Kennedy Center on May 1, 1985. The critics raved. “Abdallah is a triumph,” said the Boston Globe. The Wall Street Journal said, “That it communicates such broad meanings and does so, moreover, with such effortless charm, is the great achievement of Bruce Marks.” In 1986 Marks staged Abdallah for the Royal Danish Ballet, for which it was originally created.

In 1985, Marks assumed the position of artistic director of Boston Ballet. Under his dynamic leadership, the company achieved international acclaim, tripled its annual budget and attendance, and built a reputation for performing authentic versions of the classics and for encouraging daring modern works. In 1991, in Boston’s South End, the company opened a new facility that is one of the country’s leading centers for dance and dance education.

Among the many highlights of Marks’ time in Boston were an unprecedented American/Soviet production of Swan Lake, a 1991 five-city tour of Spain, and a highly acclaimed version of The Sleeping Beauty in 1993 to kick off its 30th season. Marks also brought to the repertory the oldest existing version of Coppélia from The Royal Danish Ballet and a traditional Russian production of Giselle, staged by Anna-Marie Holmes and coached by the legendary Natalia Dudinskaya of the Kirov Ballet.

The encouragement of American choreographers was one of Marks’ major efforts as director. He commissioned works by Danny Buraczeski, Merce Cunningham, Bill T. Jones, Ralph Lemon, Monica Levy, Susan Marshall, Bebe Miller, Mark Morris, Twyla Tharp, and Lila York.

In July of 1997 Marks stepped down from his post at Boston Ballet and became artistic director emeritus.
Marks was a founding member of Dance/USA, a national service organization that represents professional dance companies. From 1990-92, he was chairman of that organization. In 1989, Marks was chosen to succeed the late Robert Joffrey as chairman of the International Jury of the USA International Ballet Competition held in Jackson, Mississippi, a position he still holds. He has served as the American judge at the international competitions in Helsinki, Nagoya, Moscow, and Seoul and was the American judge at the 1994 Prix de Lausanne.

Until 1985, Marks was board chairman of the American Arts Alliance. He has been an Artist Fellow of the Aspen Institute and a member of the Inter-Arts Panel of the National Endowment for the Arts. Marks has been a member and chairman of the NEA Dance Panel and was a member of the NEA’s International Advisory Panel.

Marks has been a pioneer in innovative dance education and outreach programs, including Boston Ballet’s Citydance program. This tuition-free ballet training program reaches nearly 3,000 third-graders each year in Boston’s public schools.

Marks is a recipient of the 1995 Capezio Dance Award for achievement in dance and contributions toward public awareness of dance in America. He received the 1997 Dance Magazine Award. He was awarded the Dance/USA honors in 1998. He holds honorary doctoral degrees from Northeastern University, Franklin Pierce College, the University of Massachusetts, Wheaton College, Juilliard, and Boston Conservatory.

In 1998 Marks created ArtsVenture, Inc., a consulting firm dedicated to passing along his accumulated knowledge and insights as a consultant to ballet and modern dance companies in America and throughout the world. He has also created a landmark program for the training of artistic directors.
Marks is currently at work on an autobiography. He has three children by his late wife, Toni Lander—Erik, Adam and Kenneth—and lives in Boston, Florida, and New York City with his partner, the American artist Paolo Fiumedoro.

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