Like opera, I am a fan of dance but I am no expert which makes me both a poor choice for a reviewer AND an excellent choice. I have no business giving technical critiques of the performance, but I am the ideal choice to give an opinion on the theatricality and interest of the performance for the average “I’m interested in dance but I’m no expert” kind of patron. And, I very much enjoyed the Mark Morris Dance Group’s weekend performances with the Seattle Symphony. I’ve seen Mr Morris’s work on television and enjoyed it immensely and the work on display this weekend on the stage at the Paramount lived up to his reputation. As always, the choreography of Mr Morris is witty, charming, innovative, fresh and relevant. The drama of serious moments presented on the stage by the excellent dancers is always leavened by moments of sweet, sly humor. The three pieces never failed to entertain and delight me but I did have favorites among the three, and in each piece. The cool delights of Haydn’s A Lake were evident in the grotto blues of the back drop and the dancer’s simple Gap-ish styled clothing, as they wrestled and shimmied and dove through the watery depths of Haydn’s music. The next piece, Bach’s Jesu, Meine Freude, was a piece that managed to be reverent, yet sexy; respectful of tradition yet modern in outlook and approach. The dancers, clad in flowing white; the men shirtless and their pants simple gauzy harem style trousers, managed to evoke the ancient civilizations of Mesopotamia and Persia and Palestine and particularly Egypt with movements that were sinuous and wittily referenced modern interpretations of ancient dance; anyone remember the old Bangles song, “Walk Like an Egyptian”? I’m pretty sure Mr Morris was brave enough to either reference it, or at least Hollywood conceptions of what ancient dance was all about it.
Both Jesu and the final piece of the night, Vivaldi’s Gloria was backed by the magnificent Tudor Choir and their non-seen presence was an asset to both pieces of dance, as was the overall performance by the Seattle Symphony Orchestra which was under the conducting of Mark Morris himself for the final piece, Gloria. The inching, on your bellies, wriggling across the stage choreography largely featured in this piece was a mesmerizing interpretation of life, echoing the evolution of life itself, or the creation of life in the act of sperm seeking out eggs to fertilize, or salmon battling to get upstream to mating grounds, or less profoundly, maybe just an example of the struggle we have every day to inch our way to its final conclusion. Regardless of any interpretation, it was a fascinating piece of dance and drama to behold in an evening of superb musicality, performance and theatricality.
-Michael Strangeways
About the Author: Michael Strangeways
