James Morrow

A native of Chicago, IL. James Morrow (HE, HIM, HIS) is an internationally recognized award winning queer choreographer/ dancer/ educator. He is the founder and artistic director of james morrow/ THE MOVEMENT and SITE CREW Productions. Morrow is known for developing the "Urban Fusion" movement style currently embraced by Chicago Dance Crash while he was the founder and artistic director of the Chicago-based dance company, Instruments of Movement from 2001-2008. Morrow’s movement foundation originated in street dance, specifically Breakin', House, and Rave techniques. It wasn’t until college that Morrow was introduced to Concert Dance. His movement has become multimodal, fusing modern, contemporary, and street dance elements while using Critical Race Theory, Feminist Theory, and Queer Theory as lenses to interrogate process and creation . His choreography can be seen on companies throughout the U.S. and internationally working in Utrecht, Vienna, Mumbai, Puebla, Toronto, Montreal, Krasnoyarsk, Kerch, Vancouver, London, Scotland, and New Brighton.

As a dancer/ performer, Morrow has worked with Chicago based companies: The Joel Hall Dancers, Deeply Rooted Productions, Ascension/The Kirby Reed Project, Ken Von Heidecke’s Festival Ballet, Larry Long’s Civic Ballet, Culture Shock Chicago, Concert Dance, Inc., Mordine and Co., Hedwig Dances, The Tyego Dance Project, Impetus Dance Chicago, MOMENTA, and Nick Cave's (Soundsuits).

Other performance credits include working with Berlin's : Tino Sehgal, Bahama’s: The Baha Men, New York’s: Helen Pickett, nicholasleichterdance, Gina Kohler/ Dream Factories, Danielle Russo Dance Company, Tami Stronach Dance, Tessa Chandler, Margaret Morrison, MX OOPS, Yozmit, DeeLite, DJ Kotchy, Toronto’s: Gerry Trentham/ Pounds Per Square Inch Theatre, Minnesota’s: Sesame Street Live, Michigan’s: Kalamazoo Ballet, North Carolina’s: Tommy DeFrantz/ Slippage, Ellen Hemphill/ Archipelago Theater, Jim Havercamp, Alex Maness, Florida’s: Jacksonville Dance Theater, Rachael McClellan Leonard, Jacksonville Symphony Orchestra, Elevated Aerial Dance, and Massachusetts's: Jen Pollins, Paul Matteson, Peter Dimuro, Caitlin Corbett, Meghan McLyman, Across The Ages Dance Project, and THE WONDERTWINS.

As an educator, Morrow has worked as full- time dance faculty/ Assistant Professor of Dance at Northeastern Illinois University, Florida State College at Jacksonville, Episcopal School of Jacksonville, Hartford Academy for the Arts, Pioneer Valley Performing Arts, and Salem State University. Morrow was on Faculty at the American Dance Festival (summer 2010) and at the Bates Dance Festival's Youth Arts Program (2018-2020). He received a fellowship to Hollins University/The American Dance Festival (2011) where he earned his MFA in dance. He is currently an Assistant Professor of Dance at Old Dominion University.