MARK MORRIS DANCE GROUP SAILS

REVIEW BY Celia Ipiotis

How refreshing to watch a full evening of damn good choreography.  That summed up my feelings during the Mark Morris Dance Company’s first appearance at the Joyce Theater.

Two programs unfolded on the Chelsea stage, featuring revivals and premieres. Program 1 built momentum from the playful Numerator and the smartly twisted lyrics of A Wooden Tree, to the Baroque lyricism of Italian Concerto and wildly popular folk dynamics of Grand Duo. 

In Numerator, a gathering of 6 men join in ensemble dancing and pockets of duets to a whimsical score by Lou Harrison. Spatially satisfying, even when the dancers execute a step in unison, they face different directions. This simple twist on an overused choreographic trope compounds visual variety and anticipation for the next moves. Positioned on either side of the stage, the live musicians  enliven the dancers.

With little lag time between dances, an elated audience meets the cheeky A Wooden Tree —  a masterful, quirky round of dances set to a recording (sounds like vinyl) of poet/musician Ivor Cutler’s eccentric singing accompanied by a harmonium. At once hilarious and poignant, Morris pulls from his massive folk dance vocabulary. Men are drawn arm in arm in a traveling serpentine step sequence; solos feed into groups forging quadrilles or American square dance sequences topped by  high-stepping romps reminiscent of the English country “Morris” dances.

Morris’ fondness for Baroque music reverberates in Johan Sebastian Bach’s Italian Concerto. Choreography curls around the musical structure passing articulated melodies from one body to another.

A crowd favorite, Morris’ Grand Duo, returns to Lou Harrison for musical inspiration. Broken into several sections, the glorious finale assembles the dancers in a circle. Joyous stomping, arm waves and hops form a buoyant ritual. Thrilling in its simplicity and repetition, the dancers break off into individual jaunts forming a halo of unity.

Program 2 hailed the return of Morris’ 1980 Castor and Pollux to a score by the musically inventive Harry Parch who built instruments to support his microtonal scales (eschewed Western use of 12 equal intervals per octave). That in itself says quite a bit about the young choreographer breaking into the NYC dance scene with a company that now includes a major dance center in Brooklyn and world-wide tours.

Karlie Budge sets the mood ushering in the rest of the company in unexpected circular sweeps and rhythmic foot taps. Dropping to the floor and twisting various body parts against one another, Morris’ imagination streaks through the composition. An impressively mature piece for such a young choreographer, Morris quickly demonstrates his choreographic fluidity and musical precociousness. Through a flurry of runs and skips, the 8 dancers embroider balletic steps inside willfully pedestrian gestures grounded in musical camaraderie.

Created during COVID, Tempus Perfectum is set to Johannes Brahms Sixteen Waltzes, Op 39 —  many of which are associated with Isadora Duncan. The airy, musical waltzes float over Colin Fowler’s excellent performance on piano. Light and congenial, the individual waltzes offer breath to Chopin’s magical melodies.

Another highly regarded work, All Fours set to Bartok’s spare String Quartet No. 4 resounds in engrossing ensembles. Jabbing arms and flowing currents draw the dancers towards a whirlwind center from which solos and duets are manifest in open arms and scissor wide leaps.

The ironically titled premiere A minor Dance roams over the music of Johann Sebastian Bach reaching for intricate physical echoes of the musical structure. Look closely and you’ll see  different body parts singing Bach’s melody, harmony or rhythm. A conductor as well as a choreographer, Morris needles inside and outside the score, scaling crescendos in  airborne leaps and turns landing in earthbound caresses. 

Pulling the 6 dancers down-stage, Morris forms an image of a line of people cycling up and down like bicycle’s gears. One hand reaches for another shoulder, wrist, or hip while descending to the floor and recycling back up. This kaleidoscopic tableau ricochets into waves of contrapuntal steps where the arm reaches in one direction while the body projects into the opposite corner. Whenever this happens, a jolt of happy unexpectedness excites the senses.

It’s worth noting this marks Domingo Estrada’s last season with the Mark Morris Dance Group. Animated in his intense concentration, one’s eyes always hover over this outstanding dancer’s musical and physical sensitivity. 

With the exception of “The Wooden Tree” members of the Mark Morris Dance Group Music Ensemble and Aeolus Quartet performed live throughout both programs.

We can only hope for the Mark Morris Dance Group’s speedy return to the Joyce Theater.

EYE ON THE ARTS, NY — Celia Ipiotis