Mark morris: A Geometry genius

Mark Morris Dance Group performed  the glorious "Water" on Thursday night at The Egg.

There are many sides to choreographer Mark Morris – the musical devotee, the irreverent jokester, the compelling storyteller.
 
But my favorite is the geometrical genius – a dance artist who knows how to deploy, shake up and reconfigure dancers in the most eye-catching style. And while Thursday night’s program at The Egg was not among the most treasured Mark Morris Dance Group showings, I was swept away by “Water.”
 
The work from 2021 is carried by George Frederic Handel’s “Water Music” and made for an ensemble of 13. The dancers, dressed in black street clothes, jauntily sailed through the six movements in a kaleidoscope of swing arms, runs, tilts and upside lifts that had dancers solemnly tapping the bottoms of the aloft person’s feet.
 
The joyous dance fascinated with its endless movement with dancers seemingly appearing and dissolving as if by magic. The energy was pulsating with not one second of drab. However, Morris too understands the power of stillness. And when the dancers froze in place, that too radiated a beauty that  held the eye -- thus making this dance one of Morris' best.
 
The evening also featured two works that unfold in a cordoned off square, illuminated at the center of the stage – “Excursions” to Samuel Barber’s “Excursions for the Piano” and “Candleflowerdance” to Igor Stravinsky’s Serenade for A. Both included the lively accompaniment of music director and pianist Colin Fowler in the pit, which immediately elevated the dance.
 
Of the two works, “Candleflowerdance” was preferred. It was like a mediation with the dancers leaning and melting from a standing position into the floor and then rising again with a finger pointed to the sky. Like so many of his other works, the configuration of the six dancers in the square – throbbing or curled up in corners or stacked in uneven lines was captivating.
 
“Excursions” was a cross of square dance-inspired duets that immediately told the audience that here is a group of dancers who speak with clarity and one voice with their precision hip-shaking and semaphoric-arm gestures. Though danced inside that taped off box on the floor, the piece moves beyond with its sporty persona.
 
Finally, the playful “Wooden Tree,” to songs by Ivor Cutler rounded out the program. The dancers acted out, in silly ways, the ridiculously charming harmonium tunes like “Stick Out Your Chest,” “Little Black Buzzer” and “Cockadoodledon’t.” Eliciting giggles from the crowd, it’s the kind of Morris piece that pairs striking songs with physical antics. While this is not Morris at his choreographic best, these works always amuse.
 
Thank you, Mr. Morris, for the smiles.