Dance company to open university's season of events

Fairfield University will open its 2012-13 Arts & Minds season Saturday, Sept. 15, with a performance by the Mark Morris Dance Group at 8 p.m. in the school's Regina A. Quick Center for the Arts, 1073 N. Benson Road.

The program, with live music by the group's ensemble, will feature works that span company founder Morris' career, such as "All Fours" (2003) to Bela Bartók's String Quartet No. 4; Ten Suggestions (1981) to Alexander Tcherepnin's Bagatelles, Op. 5; and Festival Dance (2011) to Johann Nepomuk Hummel, Piano Trio No. 5 in E Major, Op. 83.

Morris, a dancer, choreographer and artistic director, formed the company in 1980, the same year it gave its first concert in New York City. Its touring schedule has grown since to include cities in the United States and Europe, and in 1986 it made its first appearance on national television for the PBS series "Dance in America," according to a news release.

In 1988, the company became the national dance company of Belgium and spent three years in residence at the Theâtre Royal de la Monnaie in Brussels. It returned to the United States in 1991 and performed across the country and at major international festivals.

The company, which has garnered two Laurence Olivier Awards from its London seasons, opened the Mark Morris Dance Center in Brooklyn in September 2001 to provide a home for the company, rehearsal space for the dance community, outreach programs for local children and a dance school.

A post-performance question-and-answer session with Morris will follow the performance. Tickets are $50, $45 and $35.

Tickets and subscriptions are available through the Quick Center box office at 203-254-4010 or at www.quickcenter.com.