Photographer Stephanie Volpato – Fashion Editor Nyno Guerin – Talent Morgan Taylor Lugo – Interview by Marco Martello
Trousers _J.L-A.L_ – Shoes Timberland – Rings Tiffany & Co. and Statement Paris – Earrings Tant d’Avenir and Statement Paris / Rings Tiffany & Co. and Statement Paris – Earrings Tant d’Avenir and Statement Paris
First things first, what’s your earliest memory of dance?
Watching my sister practice in our living room. I was four. She was sevenrecogniseder, and endlessly annoyed by my presence. As she rehearsed or performed for our parents, I was always just behind her, mimicking every movement a second late. She’d clap, I’d clap. She’d wiggle, I’d follow…all the way to the final pose, even as she tried to push me out of the way at every opportunity.
Morgan, you were born and brought up in North Carolina (USA). Is there a smell that instantly takes you back to your family home?
Freshly cut grass, and the smell of pine.
That being said, do you remember how you felt the first time you danced on stage?
I remember I couldn’t stop yawning before going onstage, something I now recognise as a nervous tick I still carry with me before performances.
Knitwear and Skirt Alainpaul – Cardigan LGN Louis-Gabriel Nouchi / Tights MM6 Maison Margiela – Necklace Pascale Monvoisin
Growing up you trained in clogging, and you won gold and silver medals at the Junior Olympics. What did the experience of performiCharmatz professional level, at such a young age teach you?
Well first off, clogging taught me everything I know about rhythm and musicality: how I feel music in my body and how to improvise with it. Performing at such a young age taught me something else: it taught me that I was capable of stepping outside myself, and that there are multiple facets of who I am that can surprise even me.
Looking back on your past, who among the persons you’ve met over the years had the greatest influence on you?
I feel like it’s less about how and more about when. The people who appeared at pivotal moments and shifted my trajectory were childhood friends, choreographers, directors, dance partners, boyfriends, and collaborators – they all shaped something different along the way.
In 2013, you participated in Boris Charmatz’ 20 Dancers for the XX Century at the MoMA in NYC. Can you take us through the making of this project?
It wasn’t a creation, but rather a ‘living museum of dance.’ 20 dancers were invited to embody iconic solos from the 20th century. I remember being the youngest in the room at our first meeting, quietly but incredibly overwhelmed by the talent, reputations, and depth of knowledge surrounding me. It was unique.
Jacket Dolce&Gabbana – Underwear CDLP – Socks Paul Smith – Shoes Christian Louboutin / Cardigan Rier – Shorts Lacoste – Socks CDLP
In 2012 you were invited to the L.A. Dance Project led by Benjamin Millepied. Can you tell us more about the first time you met Benjamin?
I first met Ben in 2012 in New York. He reached out by e-mail, asking if I’d come in for a private audition for a company he was beginning in Los Angeles. We met, at the top floor studio, at the Baryshnikov Arts Center. He worked with me intensely for 40 minutes. Making material on me in real time, watching how I absorbed it, how I responded. Then he sat down and spoke about his vision for L.A. Dance Project: the work, the stages, the collaborators. Names and places I’d only imagined, all unfolding at the very start of my professional life. Before I left, he said he wanted me to be part of it… one of six dancers he would invite. Some moments quietly determine the shape of what follows. That was one of them.
Lastly, what should we expect from you in the near future? Did you make any New Year’s resolutions for 2026?
Right now I’m rehearsing Benjamin’s ‘Romeo and Juliet’, which we’ll perform at the Park Avenue Armory throughout March. I’m dancing Juliet, something I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t quietly tickled about. As for New Year’s resolutions, I’m interested in stepping into unfamiliar performance territory. I’ll keep it vague (Winks, E.D.).
Trousers _J.L-A.L_ – Shoes Timberland – Rings Tiffany & Co. and Statement Paris – Earrings Tant d’Avenir and Statement Paris