Margaret Morris, 1891-1980

Margaret Morris, born in London, was the daughter of painter William Bright Morris. She was a child stage prodigy who studied ballet at the Theatre Royal in London and later with Raymond Duncan. Margaret Morris was a trailblazing teacher whose avant-garde ideas of the 1920s and 1930s laid the groundwork for modern and contemporary dance. By the age of twelve, she was rebelling against the constraints of classical ballet and developing her own technique, eventually opening her own dance school in 1910. Morris met Scottish artist J. D. Fergusson three years later during a trip to Paris, beginning a lifelong professional and romantic relationship. They worked together on designs for Margaret's dance productions. Morris established the Celtic Ballet Club in Glasgow in 1939, followed by the Scottish National Ballet. Encouraged by a supportive netowkr, she became a deft, decorative painter and draughtsman capable of capturing a likeness in motion. Morris' dance work was carried on in many countries after her death by the International Association of Margaret Morris Movements.