Interlochen Center for the Arts Welcomes New Director of Dance

INTERLOCHEN, Mich., May 19, 2015 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Joseph Morrissey has been named the new Director of Dance at Interlochen Center for the Arts. Morrissey is the Director of Artistic Planning and Touring for The Hong Kong Ballet. And from 2012-2013 Morrissey served as the Director of CORPS, a pre-professional program for select students pursuing classical ballet careers and higher education. Morrissey has danced with the Bavarian State Ballet in Munich, Germany, the Boston Ballet and the Charleston Ballet Theatre.

"Mr. Morrissey brings a wealth of experience in the world of dance on both the national and international levels. His direct connection to performance, choreography and administrative work make an exciting combination of qualities to lead our dance division forward in the coming years," said Edward Farraday, Vice President, Education Programs at Interlochen Center for the Arts.

Morrissey holds a Master of Arts in Performing Arts Administration from New York University where he completed his graduate practicum with Emerging Pictures, the company that initiated distributions of live broadcasts from The Bolshoi Ballet to cinemas across North America. He holds a Bachelor of Science in Classical Ballet from the Jacob's School of Music at Indiana University where he was a recipient of The Kenneth C. Whitener Award for Ballet Excellence and The Jacob's School of Music Dean's Award.

Morrissey has been invited to choreograph for the Stuttgart Ballet's Noverre Society, and was selected to work with the New York Choreographic Institute. He has been invited to speak about his creative process at the Dance Theater of Harlem alongside a panel of five emerging choreographers from New York. His choreography was featured in July 2013 with the Roberto Bolle and Friends from American Ballet Theatre galas throughout Italy and Sicily, performed by soloists from the American Ballet Theatre. In September 2014, Morrissey's work was performed at the Ballet Philippines 45th Anniversary gala performances at the Cultural Center's National Theater in Manila. In January 2015 Joseph was invited to teach at Princeton University for the Princeton University Ballet, where he set his piece titled "One," and he will be completing an artist-in-residence at the University of Akron. Morrissey has also choreographed for the Festival Ballet d'Adriatico held in Ascoli Piceno, Italy and the Inside / Out performance series presented by the School of Ballet at Jacob's Pillow, a program of which he is a two-time alumnus. He has instructed classes for Ballet Preljocaj and Spellbound Contemporary Ballet and is a member of The International Vaganova Method Society. Morrissey has served as a guest instructor for his alma mater, The Harid Conservatory.

With his arrival at Interlochen, Morrissey will join a long tradition of artistic and academic excellence. Since the Arts Academy was established, it has produced 43 Presidential scholars, a record unmatched by any school in the United States, public or private. Alumni include Janet Eilber (Artistic Director, Martha Graham), Liz Lerman (MacArthur Foundation "Genius"), choreographer Richard Hinds, dancer Justin Koertgen and more.

About Interlochen Center for the Arts

The nonprofit Interlochen Center for the Arts is a recipient of the National Medal of Arts and the only organization in the world that brings together: a 2,500-student summer camp program; a 500-student fine arts boarding high school; opportunities for hundreds of adults to engage in fulfilling artistic and creative programs; two 24-hour listener-supported public radio stations (classical music and news); more than 600 arts presentations annually by students, faculty and world-renowned guest artists; a global alumni base spanning eight decades, including leaders in the arts and all other endeavors. For information, visit Interlochen online at www.interlochen.org.