Mark Morris’ Latest Work at The Joyce Is Pure Delight

It’s not often that an established and acclaimed dance company marking its 45th anniversary presents a world premiere by its founder that is far and away the celebration’s highlight. To say that You’ve Got to be Modernistic steals the show in Mark Morris Dance Group’s current program at The Joyce Theater is a bold statement because the other pieces in Program A—The Muir (2010), Silhouettes (1999) and Mosaic and United (1993)—are beloved Morris classics. But let me tell you why.

Let’s start with that word in the title: “modernistic,” a subtle but revealing choice. It’s not simply modern or even modernist. Modernistic implies not only the present but also innovation, experimentation and architectural design. The title as a whole is slightly off-kilter, and being slightly off-kilter is a theme that weaves its way through the work, most notably with “The Charleston” being played in 5/4 time instead of 4/4 time, which gives the familiar song a satisfyingly odd tilt.

But I’m getting ahead of myself. You’ve Got to be Modernistic is set to the music of James P. Johnson, composer of the famed Charleston, arranged and played live by Ethan Iverson. Iverson, MMDG’s former music director and now frequent collaborator, has been a longtime admirer of “The Father of Stride Piano.” Johnson’s compositions (which hadn’t been written down; Iverson had to transcribe them by listening to old recordings) are somewhere between ragtime and jazz, that in-between place that yields some incredible music. The score and Iverson’s playing of it are half the delight of You’ve Got to be Modernistic.

Another delight is the costumes, designed by Elizabeth Kurtzman—slinky pants with a satin sheen and loose tops, all in a soft and unusual color palette of rose gold, brown and blue. The fabrics shine when Nicole Pearce’s lighting design pops on, and when the seven dancers cluster close, they swing their long pearl necklaces to the swingy beat.

Which brings us to the movement. Mark Morris is a genius at delving deep into a musical score and bringing it to life—something his loyal audiences already know—but this time, the choreography does so much more than that. It visualizes the mood of the music while making a statement on cultural significance that is visceral, not anthropological.

We see The Charleston right away, though not in its usual form: hands clasped and elbows out, the dancers’ swinging arms appear to be aiming for a baseball. The quintessential 1920s dance appears again and again throughout the piece, deconstructed and always a bit different. Other dances from that period show up too if you know what to look for—the Shimmy, the Black Bottom, the Bee’s Knees, the Camel Walk—but these Jazz Age staples are always seen as if through a funhouse mirror, distorted and silly. I found myself giggling, and I don’t often giggle while watching modern dance. I wanted to jump onto the stage and join the fun. I wanted to wear those pants and do those loosey-goosey, tappy-flappy moves (In fact, I might have gone home and tried a few later that night, alone in the dark.)

At one point, the cast spins their necklaces around their necks like hula hoops. One dancer, Billy Smith, is particularly talented at this trick and keeps going while the others circle him. It is not easy (I tried that move at home, too, and it didn’t go well.)

Another off-kilter moment occurs when a line of dancers walks forward in unison, arms around each other’s shoulders—something that happens several times. This is normal enough, except they are not all stepping with the same feet, and the break of form that saw some starting right and some left had a profound effect on me. It felt “wrong” in my viewing body, which fascinated me. Yet another way Morris plays with us.

Though You’ve Got to be Modernistic was my favorite, the other works on the program are strong too. The Muir is an upbeat, witty opener featuring six dancers dressed in Renaissance-light costumes (also designed by Kurtzman) set to a collection of Irish and Scottish folk songs arranged by Ludwig Van Beethoven and played live by the MMDG Music Ensemble. Three couples declare their love, get their hearts broken and swap partners, and not always in that order. The women pose with their hands on their hips. They wag their fingers. The men lift them up and spin them around. It seems to be a playful melodrama, but then things get more serious and break down, and one is left to wonder who or what is pulling the strings.

In the duet Silhouettes, Aaron Loux (wearing pajama bottoms while his partner, Christina Sahaida, wears the matching top) excels as an ideal Morris dancer. His lower body is clean, the footwork precise, while his upper body is loose and graceful. And perhaps most importantly, he is funny.

Mosaic and United, which closes the program, is perhaps the most challenging of the four works. It mimics the changing tones of Henry Cowell’s string music, also played live. Sometimes the movement is eerie (women crawl, very slowly, cat-like across the stage), and sometimes it is postmodern (arms tick-tock sharply like a metronome). It is the murkiest, most haunting of the pieces.

When I left the opening night performance (but before I attempted the necklace trick), I considered the selections of Morris’s work from 1993 to the present. His most recent piece seems stripped away of any darkness, any narrative, any pretense. You’ve Got to be Modernistic, despite its title, goes back to the basics of dance: music, movement and joy.

Program A is at The Joyce Theater through July 19. Program B, featuring the world premiere of Northwest alongside Ten Suggestions (1981), The Argument (1999) and Going Away Party (1990), will run from July 22-26.

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