Mark Morris Dance Group and Music Ensemble: Pacific, A Wooden Tree, Whelm and Festival Dance -
Opera Theatre, Sydney Opera House, 4 June -
As a choreographer led company from Brooklyn, New York, the Mark Morris Dance Group and Music Ensemble is part of America’s long tradition of modern dance. But Mark Morris is no novice. He has choreographed one hundred and fifty dance works for this, the company he founded more than thirty years ago, as well as numerous other works for companies around the globe.
In terms of style, his work for the most part abounds in energy and exuberance. It’s not about perfecting static lines or shapes, the emphasis here is on capturing the unique dynamic quality of each movement and about making the musical patterns visible to those watching. George Balanchine’s famous quote, “Dance is music made visible” fits nicely with Mark Morris’s work and, appropriately, the touring company includes musicians as well as dances, with an emphasis on music played live for three out of the four works presented.
The first and last works, Pacific and Festival Dance are classic Mark Morris, uplifting, aesthetically pleasing and beautifully lit. Pacific was originally choreographed for San Francisco Ballet, and although one can see the underlying ballet technique in his choreography there was something very contemporary in the way these dancers approached it. Their upper bodies stayed loose and relaxed, with energy radiating beyond outstretched fingers, while their use of the floor - in particular those virtually noiseless, meltingly soft landings - was a pleasure to watch.
In contrast Festival Dance incorporates more folk dance motifs, with male and female dancers paired up to partner each other in most sections. Here the focus is on the changing floor patterns and lines of the group collectively rather than as individuals. Martin Pakledinaz’s costumes look as if they are hand dyed, so although there is unity, each one is subtly different, while the full skirted designs ripple with movement. For both Pacific and Festival Dance the three musicians were presented as an integral part of the performance - sitting above the orchestra pit where we could see them play.
A Wooden Tree is quite unusual but very funny in parts. The only work not accompanied by live music, it is set to a recorded monologue/musical combination by Ivor Cutler. There is an element of pantomime in the way the dancers mimic the narrative as it unfolds, a series of seemingly unrelated short poems and rhymes rather than a cohesive story. I cannot single out any dancers in particular as they were only listed in alphabetical order for each work. Overall they impressed.
Appropriately enough the most underwhelming work on show was Whelm, Mark Morris’s most recent choreography. With the dancers shrouded in black costumes and black lighting, it has some interesting phrases of movement but looks and feels terribly dark and slow moving in comparison to the rest of the program. Still, three out of four is good odds for a mixed bill program.
- GERALDINE HIGGINSON