MARK MORRIS DANCE GROUP Program B

The Mark Morris Dance Group returned to The Joyce Theater with Program B: American Heartbeat – Country and Western, featuring excerpts from “Home,” “Deck of Cards,” “Songs That Tell a Story,” and “Going Away Party.” Throughout the evening the company performed with remarkable clarity, musical sensitivity, and technical precision.

The program was threaded together by recurring excerpts from “Home.” Dressed in mid-century working-class attire, the ensemble moved in unison, bobbing rhythmically as their feet skimmed the floor in lively jig-like patterns.

Choreography immediately established a strong sense of community and Americana. While effective as an opening image, the repeated returns to these excerpts gradually lost their impact, becoming increasingly predictable rather than
deepening the evening’s larger arc.

“Deck of Cards” was the standout of the program. Dallas McMurray and BIlly Smith delivered deeply committed performances that balanced a sincerity with a cheeky sense of humor. A toy truck slowly circling the stage created a playful, yet poignant theatrical world. McMurray, dressed as a soldier from the waist up while wearing only underwear be moved with sharp, searching gestures that echoed the song’s anti-war undertones.

In contrast, Smith, wearing a flowing sunset-orange dress, glided across the stage with expansive lines and quiet longing. Their contrasting movement qualities created one of the evening’s most emotionally resonant moments.

“Songs That Tell A Story” shifted the atmosphere once again. Three dancers dressed entirely in denim alternated between buoyant leap;s with rigid limgs and slower passages that collapsed toward the floor, their bodies folding into one another with a striking sense of exhaustion. The contrast between explosive athleticism and shared weariness gave the work a quiet, emotional weight.

Closing the evening, “Going Away Party” embraced an irreverent, vintage sense of humor. Comic moments, including male-presenting dancers pretending to urinate upstage while female-presenting dancers crawled between them in a suggestive gag, were paired with impressively precise partnering. Sweeping lifts, rapid spins, dramatic dips, and cascading floor patterns demonstrated the company’s exceptional timing and cohesion.

While moments of humor and theatricality brought welcome energy, I found myself wishing the choreography took greater risks, leaving me admiring the company’s extraordinary performers more than the works themselves.

EYE ON THE ARTS, NY — Frankie Lehr

*Photos by Julieta Cervantes