100 Years of the Margaret Morris Method in Switzerland
To all those who believe that everything can be accomplished by the mind, I would like to say that, whatever we may believe, as long as we are on this earth, we can function and communicate only through the body.
So, whatever our beliefs, our ambitions and our aspirations, we should keep our bodies as young and efficient as possible and learn to grow old with joy and with grace. One thing should be remembered: the longer we have to live, the more important it is to feel well and enjoy life.
Margaret Morris. My Life in Movement, 1969.
The Margaret Morris Method helps restore physical and mental well-being. Margaret Morris, who was English and trained in classical dance, rejected positions she considered unnatural and created her own range of movements, which she sought to bring into harmony with health and bodily well-being. Taught in Switzerland since 1926, the Margaret Morris Method is now practised around the world. Combining the medical and aesthetic dimensions of movement, it is intended for everyone, including children, and brings together dance, gymnastics, bodily expression and posture. The exercises of the Margaret Morris Method help develop muscular strength, flexibility, balance and coordination, and are performed to specially adapted music. Breathing occupies a central place and forms the basis of every exercise. Part of each lesson is devoted to highly structured sequences as well as to free expression.
Betty Jayet, teacher of the Margaret Morris Method and former president of the association.
In 2026, Switzerland celebrates a major anniversary: one hundred years since the establishment of the Margaret Morris Method in the country.
It was in 1926, in Leysin, that the British dancer, choreographer and teacher Margaret Morris was invited by Dr Auguste Rollier to contribute to his pioneering research into health, movement and rehabilitation. From this encounter emerged far more than a method applied to care: it also shaped the image of a medical and tourist village, where the climate fostered health and vitality, and where Margaret Morris herself embodied a profoundly humanist approach to movement.
A century later, the method continues to thrive in Switzerland thanks to the commitment of teachers who, from one generation to the next, pass on its principles, gestures, rhythms and colours. This embodied transmission is reflected in the archival fonds of the Swiss Association of the Margaret Morris Method, preserved by the SAPA Foundation. Built up between 2019 and 2026, this fonds brings together the personal and teaching archives of several teachers. It documents the history of the method, its practices, the life of the Swiss association, and its links with the founder and the international association.
Rich and diverse, the fonds includes teaching and organisational documents, books and brochures relating to the different colour grades, teachers’ notes, photographs of classes and performances, press articles, drawings by Margaret Morris, posters, correspondence, postcards and objects. Together, these are the traces of a living heritage in which movement, breathing, music, creativity and colour intersect. Still in the process of being assembled, this fonds—now measuring nearly one linear metre—serves as memory, a means of transmission and a daily source of inspiration, reflecting a method that for one hundred years has danced life in colour.
The Journey and Legacy of Margaret Morris
Origin and Beginnings (1891–1913)
1891 | Margaret Morris is born in London. From an early age, she shows a keen interest in dance and the arts.Margaret Morris is born in London. From an early age, she shows a keen interest in dance and the arts.
1903 | Trained by John D’Auban, she creates her first dances and frees herself from the constraints of classical ballet. Regarded as a pioneer of British modern dance, she notably influences Ted Shawn and Ruth St Denis in the United States.Trained by John D’Auban, she creates her first dances and frees herself from the constraints of classical ballet. Regarded as a pioneer of British modern dance, she notably influences Ted Shawn and Ruth St Denis in the United States.
1909 | Her meeting with Raymond Duncan, Isadora Duncan’s brother, introduces her to Greek positions, which she incorporates into her own technique.Her meeting with Raymond Duncan, Isadora Duncan’s brother, introduces her to Greek positions, which she incorporates into her own technique.
Works created: Orphée (by Christoph Willibald Gluck); L’Oiseau bleu (by Maurice Maeterlinck)
1910 | She opens her first school in London and develops a holistic approach to movement that combines dance, physical education and health.
Works created: The Little Dream (by John Galsworthy); The Birth of Arthur (by Rutland Boughton)
1913 | In Paris, she meets the painter J. D. Fergusson, who becomes her life partner. Their dialogue between painting and dance nourishes her search for a relationship between movement, form and colour.
I first realised the absolute necessity of relating movement with form and colour when studying painting of the modern movement in Paris in 1913” (1925)
Expansion and Recognition (1926–1939)
1926 | Leysin: movement in the service of health
Margaret Morris is invited to Leysin by Dr Auguste Rollier, a pioneer of heliotherapy in the treatment of bone tuberculosis. Convinced that movement supports healing, she adapts her method to patients’ needs, placing particular emphasis on breathing, mobility and balance.
From 1926 to 1956, teachers work every year in the clinics of Leysin. The method is discovered there by Madeleine Rollier, the doctor’s daughter. Her sister Suzanne Chapuis later trains in London with Margaret Morris before introducing the method in Switzerland. Constance Ochsenbein also contributes to its development in Lausanne, Geneva, Gstaad and Montreux.
1928 | She develops a system of movement notation, Danscript, known under the designation Margaret Morris Movement (MMM).
1939 | The war interrupts her international activities. Only the Glasgow centre remains active. In 1940 Margaret Morris founds the Celtic Ballet Club, followed in 1947 by the Celtic Ballet of Scotland, the future Scottish National Ballet. This period marks a creative renewal in which her method joins with tradition and the poetry of movement.
Works created: The Forsaken Mermaid, 1940; Chant Hindu, 1947
Transmission and Continuity (1961–1980)
1961| After the death of her partner, she closes her main schools, although movement classes continue to flourish. The method spreads to schools, hospitals and rehabilitation centres.
1976 | The Swiss association is founded, soon followed by others in France, Canada, Germany and Japan.
1978 |The Swiss association publishes the first issue of Arabesque, a bulletin devoted to expression and creation and open to all. The journal bears witness to the vitality of the movement in Switzerland and to its spirit of sharing.
1980 | Margaret Morris dies, leaving behind a major artistic, educational and therapeutic legacy. Her method continues to be practised throughout the world.
Celebrations (1986–2026)
1986 | The Swiss association celebrates 60 years of the Margaret Morris Method in Switzerland with a series of festive events and public demonstrations. This jubilee, acknowledged by Jim Hastie—Artistic Director of Margaret Morris Movement and the successor appointed by Margaret to continue developing the method—illustrates the continuity of the method and its rootedness in the Swiss cultural landscape.
1996 | To mark 70 years of the method in Switzerland, the association honours the richness of this heritage through performances, workshops and publications. The event highlights the commitment of practitioners and the transmission of a living embodied knowledge.
2016 | On the occasion of the 90th anniversary of the method’s introduction in Switzerland, the association organises several festive events and gatherings centred on movement, health and creativity: a celebration of the body in harmony with the spirit of Margaret Morris.
2026 | At the intersection of memory, transmission and creation, this centenary jubilee celebrates the vitality and richness of this heritage while affirming its capacity to reinvent itself and be passed on to future generations.
Fundamentals and Benefits of the Margaret Morris Method
The Margaret Morris Method combines movement expression, aesthetics, bodily care and a holistic approach. Its practice is based on three fundamental pillars:
- Breathing: the basis of all movement, it supports gesture, releases tension and energises the body. Controlled breathing promotes better endurance, smoother circulation and greater self-awareness.
- Opposition in movement: by emphasising the body’s natural movement and the interplay of directions—stretches, rotations and grounding—the method cultivates coordination, balance and stable posture. This principle creates an inner dynamic that supports the fluidity of gesture and the precision of movement.
- Spinal Mobility: the spine, the true axis of movement, is engaged in its natural flexibility. Regular care helps prevent stiffness, back pain and restrictions in joint mobility.
Health benefits
This holistic approach offers many health benefits: it improves posture, gently strengthens the deep muscles, develops flexibility, enhances lung capacity and fosters a better awareness of the body in space. It is suitable for all ages and supports both artistic practice and everyday well-being.
With this in mind, Margaret Morris developed a therapy through movement based on a structured set of exercises: breathing, relaxation, posture, balance and mobility. Conceived as support for overall health, this approach reflects the attention paid to the body in all its dimensions.
Colours and Music
The Margaret Morris Method is also distinguished by its colourful universe. Each colour reflects an energy and a bodily state. Colour acts both as an intention for practice and as an indicator of the degree of depth and mastery of movement, accompanying the progression of practitioners.
The method is structured in progressive grades, made up of codified exercises that gradually develop coordination, posture and expressive quality. Some bear evocative names—such as the peacock walk, an exercise from the third grade (turquoise) in the children’s curriculum—which reflect the importance of imagination and the pleasure of movement in learning. Coloured scarves give material form to this progression and place bodily practice within an evolving and coherent pathway.
Movement is always accompanied by music, which supports and carries it. Margaret Morris gave music an essential role: all exercises are conceived in dialogue with it, reinforcing the expressive and rhythmic quality of gesture.
A central place for improvisation
The method places central importance on improvisation. “I give you the basic movements, and you build from there,” Margaret Morris often said.
Technique provides an essential foundation, but improvisation makes it possible to move beyond it, opening a space for creativity and personal expression.
Since 2025, the Swiss association has placed even greater emphasis on this dimension, reflecting the method’s living evolution while remaining true to the spirit of Margaret Morris.
