Michael Clark was born in Aberdeen, Scotland, 1962. He began Scottish traditional dancing at age four, winning numerous awards and trophies at Highland gatherings before moving, age 13, to study at The Royal Ballet School, London. He danced under Richard Glasstone, and in 1979, rather than joining the Royal Ballet Company, Clark took the then-unprecendeted move of rejecting the offer and instead joined Ballet Rambert, eventually moving to New York to dance with Karole Armitage.
In addition to dancing, Clark began choreographing in 1977, and had his first public concert in 1982, at London's Riverside Studios; where later that year, he went on to become the resident choreographer under David Gothard and launched his own company in 1984.
He has collaborated with American choreographer Stephen Petronio - in their now legendary Bed Piece which was first seen at the Anthony D'Offay Gallery, London - artist Sarah Lucas and, fashion designer Hussein Chalayan. He has also worked extensively in film and video, including dancing and choreographing the role of Caliban in Peter Greenaway's Prospero's Books (1991).
In 2005 Clark was made an Artistic Associate of the Barbican Centre and he began working on the Stravinsky Project, a collaboration to produce a trilogy of works to scores by Igor Stravinsky. Mmm… as well as O were radically reworked for this project and performed at the Barbican to great critical acclaim.