PLEASE, SIR, I WANT SOME MORRIS

Mark Morris Dance Group kicks off its 45th anniversary season with a two-week sprint at the Joyce Theater. I caught Program A in which the eclectic choreographer revisits three of his works, The Muir (2010), Silhouettes (1999), and Mosaic and United (1993), and then presents a world premiere: You’ve Got to Be Modernistic. Mark Morris was in the house, reminding us he’s still got the choreographic swagger to match his legacy.

The Muir

The Muir, set to Beethoven’s arrangements of Irish and Scottish folk songs, feels like a night at a countryside pub where jokes, love stories, and ghost tales share the same air. Claudia McDonald, Karlie Budge, and Mica Bernas (the Girls), alongside Noah Vinson, Dallas McMurray, and Billy Smith (the Boys), move with the familiarity of old friends, skipping down imaginary alleyways, swirling through flirtations, occasionally stumbling into pain and loss. Morris’s choreography is intimate but expressive; dancers frequently join hands, form circles, or travel in lines, sometimes evoking cèilidhs, traditional Scottish or Irish social gatherings. As always with Morris, the choreography is intricately musical; movements echo the rhythms and moods of the songs, sometimes even mimicking the lyrical content.

The Muir

Beethoven’s playful melodies are brought beautifully to life by bass-baritone Julian Morris, tenor Chad Kranak, mezzo-soprano Chloe Holgate, violinist Georgy Valtchev, cellist Wolfram Koessel, and MMDG Music Director Colin Fowler at the piano. Together, they give voice to the heartache and hope reflected in the piece. Dancers appear and fade like memories, duets break up into solitude. The staging is austere, illuminated by Nicole Pearce’s minimalist lighting, and only the Girls’ costumes inject some dramatic flair—delicately structured bodices with exposed crossing straps paired with layered tulle skirts, brilliantly designed by Elizabeth Kurtzman.

 Silhouettes

Silhouettes is a ten-minute duet that feels like a whimsical psychological sketch. Set to Richard Cumming’s solo piano and performed live by Colin Fowler, it features dancers Aaron Loux and Christina Sahaida. They mirror each other like twin reflections, swapping roles, steps, and subtle smiles. It’s playful, sometimes flirtatious, until one dancer collapses and the other doesn’t. Suddenly, it’s about separation, with no grand emotional arcs or dramatic climaxes.

  Mosaic and United

In contrast, Mosaic and United is almost a fever dream, a rhythmically intricate work built upon two piano pieces by Henry Cowell, an American experimental composer. Georgy Valtchev (violin), Michelle Lie (violin), Gregory Luce, (viola), and Wolfram Koessel (cello) play these two pieces—one experimental and energetic, the other lyrical and reflective—with inspired zeal. Meanwhile, the ensemble—Joslin Vezeau, Alex Meeth, Courtney Lopes, Loux, McMurray, Randolph, Sahaida, Smith, Budge, and Vinson—flawlessly unspools and reweaves itself like a single organism, one moment elegant, the next disarmingly abrupt, showing chaos and order, individuality and collectivity. Michael Chybowski’s lighting slips skillfully between piercing clarity and cozy warmth, shaping the space with precision and mood; meanwhile, Isaac Mizrahi’s costumes pop with bold colors and playful charm, amplifying the dancers’ movements.

 You've Got to Be Modernistic

Across these three previous works, one thing is clear: Morris’s command of musical phrasing and folk dance idioms are remarkable and unique. But it was with You’ve Got to Be Modernistic, the newest creation, that Morris truly captivated the crowd, who responded with spontaneous laughter and whispered excited commentary. The score is formed by rare stride-piano works by James P. Johnson, transcribed, arranged, and played live by Morris’s longtime collaborator Ethan Iverson, and that alone was an unusual treat.

 You've Got to Be Modernistic

The dancers respond with precision to the syncopated rhythms of ragtime and early jazz, with cheerful jumps, swinging runs, abrupt weight transfers, rapid footwork, and off-beat accents that mirror the genre’s rhythmic complexity, completing the picture. Sarah Hillmon, Lopes, McMurray, Pearson, Randolph, Smith, and Vezeau are superb. The costumes, by Kurtzman, with their clean, tailored lines and subtle nods to 1920s fashion, clearly and charmingly evoke the period without slipping into pastiche. Joyous but not frivolous, high-spirited but not cartoonish, this work alone justifies a pilgrimage to the Joyce in the sweltering New York summer; it is Mark Morris at his finest.

 You've Got to Be Modernistic

photos by Danica Paulos

Mark Morris Dance Group
45th Season Kick-Off
The Joyce Theater, 175 Eighth Ave
Program A ends on July 19, 2025
Program B runs July 22-26, 2025
*The Argument
*Northwest (World Premiere)
*Ten Suggestions
*Going Away Party
Tue-Sat at 7:30pm, Sat & Sun at 2pm
for tickets, visit The Joyce