Choreographer Morris brings troupe to UCLA

Thursday, October 8, 1998

Choreographer Morris brings troupe to UCLA

DANCE: Renowned group to perform mix of ethnic, traditional
styles at Royce

By Amanda Miller

Daily Bruin Contributor

Spunky and unconventional, choreographer Mark Morris is often
credited with reviving the public’s waning interest in dance.

This weekend, the 18-member Mark Morris Dance Group, distinctly
eclectic in its performance style, will dance to a variety of live
music in Royce Hall for the first time since the venue’s
re-opening. The group plans its UCLA performance amidst a busy
international touring schedule.

The choreographer lived up to his artistic reputation as joyous
and irreverent by responding to a question about his company’s
dance style with a joking, "I don’t know, next question?" But
Morris’ experience and maturity in the world of dance leave no room
for doubt.

Mikhail Baryshnikov called Morris one of the great
choreographers of our time, and the Washington Post referred to him
as "the Mozart of modern dance."

The Mark Morris Dance Group formed in 1980 and first performed
in New York City. Since then, the group has steadily expanded its
touring schedule to include cities throughout the United States and
Europe and was invited to be the national dance company of Belgium
from 1988 to 1991.

Morris is blazingly declarative and unhindered by aesthetic
concerns or niceties. He proclaims his fondness of dancing in pink
silk pajamas, kilts or his underwear openly expresses his distaste
for Disney and "other manipulative artists," gossipy journalists,
gutless homosexuals and anyone who calls his work "zany."

Morris’ choreography allows his dancers to move as extensions of
the live music.

"I suppose our dance style could be characterized as very
versatile, like each member of our group," said Morris, whose
dancers have been described as a refreshingly Motley crew. "I try
to use whatever seems appropriate, which includes a very broad
range of action. We always work with live music, and so the dance
is variable; it is determined by the music."

What kind of music can the audience expect?

"I don’t know," Morris said,. "What music are we using this
weekend?"

At the performance at Royce the group will dance to four pieces
from a variety of time periods and composers.

Morris described "Medium," with music for strings and piano by
John Harbison, as very "alive, from dark and dream-like to
pastoral."

"It’s interesting and beautiful, you could almost say it’s sort
of scary," Morris said.

"Three Preludes," another piece, builds upon the work of George
Gershwin. For this piece, world-renowned designer Isaac Mizrahi
created costumes for the dancers.

In "I Don’t Want to Love," with costumes by Mizrahi and music by
Claudio Monteverdi, instruments such as the harpsichord, guitar and
lute create the musical current for romantic stories of long
ago.

And "Grand Duo," with music for violin and piano by Lou
Harrison, is what Morris considers an almost ritual kind of dance,
wild and full of instinct.

Fitting Morris’ choreographic style into a particular dance
category is tough, since many genres of music captivate Morris. He
recalled feeling inspired when he saw his first dance at age eight,
and since then has devoted his life to developing an eclectic
repertoire of performance styles, including flamenco, folk, ballet,
modern dance, Indian and Asian dances, and other national and
ethnic styles.

Though not as attention-getting and commercial as popular dance
tours like Stomp and Riverdance, Morris assures that his group
appeals to a wide audience. Dancers of varying shapes, sizes, ages
and colors work to connect with the audience and communicate a
spectrum of emotions – from despair and havoc to sex and sheer
joy.

"This may sound trite or silly," Morris said, "but my company is
very human. They dance with one another. They’re not just showing
off. It’s like they dance with the audience, not at you."

DANCE: The Mark Morris Dance Group will be at UCLA’s Royce Hall
Oct. 9 and 10. Tickets are available for $25-40 and $13 for UCLA
students with valid I.D. at the UCLA Central Ticket Office. Call
(310) 825-2101 for performance times and information.UCLA Center
for the Performing Arts

Mark Morris choreographs the Mark Morris Dance Group, a
modern-dance troupe performing at Royce Hall Oct. 9-10.

Comments, feedback, problems?

© 1998 ASUCLA Communications Board[Home]