Tuesday, 3 July 2007

Morleigh Steinberg has been directing films since 1994. Her directorial debut, the award winning short, “Traveling Light", was presented by Francis Ford Coppola, for the VH-1 music-film series. Since then, it has been her passion to capture dance on film. Morleigh was chosen to participate in the UCLA Dance/Media Fellowship Project, where she shot and directed, “XING” and “Naizou”, featuring renowned Butoh dancer, Oguri. Her other films include “Stir” and “Too Close for Conversation”, with New York choreographer Nina Winthrop. Morleigh completed her first feature length documentary “Height of Sky” which documents the extraordinary two year journey of Oguri as he sets out to investigate his identity and his dance in the hostile serenity of the deserts of California. Known for her work as a dancer, choreographer and lighting designer, Morleigh co-founded ISO Dance in 1986, along with Jamey Hampton, Ashley Roland, and Daniel Ezralow, and was a formative member of Momix. She toured the world extensively with both companies and with her solo work. She won an Emmy award for best screen choreography in “Episodes”, a PBS presentation of ISO repertory. Working as a choreographer and performer in numerous music videos and feature films served as a natural progression in her move to directing film. Morleigh is a native of Los Angeles now residing in Dublin, Ireland.
ISO - Formed in 1986 by Daniel Ezralow, Jamey Hampton, Ashley Roland, and Morleigh Steinberg, the principals dancer/choreographers of Momix, ISO's projects are as varied as its style: from music videos to feature films, dance theatre to fashion shows. The choreography of ISO is created by the collaborative efforts of all four members. As members of Momix from 1983 - 1987, they worked in collaboration with Issey Miyake to direct fashion-dance spectacles in Tokyo, Paris, New York City, Fashion-Aid in London and Music Television Videos for The Lover Speaks, John Fogerty, U2, and Simply Red. In 1986, ISO Dance Theatre was born and began creating new shows and touring throughout the world. An early ISO project was a collaboration on the choreography for David Bowie's Glass Spider World Tour after which ISO went on to choreograph and perform in the film Earth Girls Are Easy. In 1988, ISO choreographed and performed the Music Television Video for Sting's They Dance Alone, a protest to the political problems in the Republic of Chile, which has been seen throughout the world.
In the same year, ISO also organized a dance benefit at the Joyce Theatre in New York to raise funds for Amnesty International. In the spring of 1988, ISO joined forces with The Bobs to produce the show ISO and The Bobs.