Honestly dancing

Young Chang

Judging from Mark Morris’ stylistically vast repertoire of moves,

you’d think he was an everything-goes sort of guy.

Which is true, in a way, because he likes all dancing that is “good

dancing,” regardless of the genre or culture from which the moves stem.

But what Morris doesn’t like is “Boring.” “Bogus.” An expletive that

starts with “B.”

“I don’t like fake dancing,” the choreographer said. “I can tell when

I see it. It can be flashy and glamorous but if there’s all there is,

it’s not that interesting after a few minutes.”

As the founder of the Mark Morris Dance Company, an internationally

celebrated troupe that has created numerous commissions for ballet giants

around the world, Morris’ objective has always been to dance honestly.

“I can tell when I see it,” the 45-year-old said, when asked what

“honest” dancing is. “There has to be some sort of deep structure, but

there has to be some sort of relationship between the people dancing and

the music.”

Music is what inspires him. It’s the seed that sprouts into his dances

and the pulse that keeps them alive.

For this weekend’s run of five of his pieces (four of which are

Southern California premieres) at the Irvine Barclay Theatre, the

choreographer turns to four diverse musical inspirations: classic Dvorak,

the old-school tunes of Gertrude Lawrence and Jack Buchanan, the art

songs and children’s compositions of Eric Satie and the compositions of

Robert Schumann.

“The Office,” a chamber-sized piece set to Dvorak for seven dancers,

is the only piece that has been seen in Irvine already.

“Dancing Honeymoon,” choreographed for seven dancers, is set to

Lawrence and Buchanan tunes made popular in the ‘20s and ‘30s. “Bijoux,”

a solo collection of nine short pieces, is set to Satie’s songs.

“Peccadillos,” also a solo, will be danced by Morris to children’s piano

pieces by Satie. And “V,” a piece for 14 dancers, will be danced to

Schumann’s romantic Quintet in E-flat major for Piano and Strings.

Douglas Rankin, president of the Barclay, said he included Morris in

the theater’s dance season, which includes performances by three other

dance companies, because it helps create a “total experience.”

“If one company is light and musical, then the next is dark and

European,” Rankin said of his programming method. “We’ll look at what

enhances a series.”

Morris’ show offers somewhat of an all-in-one, he said.

Also known for his directorial work on Jean-Philippe Rameau’s opera

“Platee,” recently brought to the Orange County Performing Arts Center

during the Philharmonic Society’s Eclectic Orange Festival, Morris’

productions are creative, edgy, perhaps even wild.

You can call them what you want, he says, but the one word he admits

he hates is “zany.”

“It’s dismissive,” Morris said. “It’s imagining that it takes no work

when we work really hard at it.”

The Seattle native started his dance group in 1980 after years of

performing with other companies. He began dancing at the age of 9,

attracted to the art of flamenco after watching a Jose Greco show.

Through the years, Morris expanded his interests in Spanish flamenco

to include everything from Balkan to Balinese moves.

“I’m just interested,” the New Yorker explained of his wide taste in

dance. “I like a lot of different things. That’s probably why I live

here.”

Four years ago, the Dance Group won the Laurence Olivier Award for

Best New Dance Production for the British premiere of “L’Allegro, il

Penseroso ed il Moderato.” Besides international dancing tours, the

company has also worked on film projects.

When he’s not dining with friends or sleeping (he loves sleeping),

Morris reads, watches and listens to whatever the Big Apple can offer him

in his spare time.

During work-time, Morris’ profession requires that he do pretty much

the same set of things -- explore different art.

“That’s what I do with my job,” Morris happily boasted. “There’s not a

big difference with off-and-on-the-job for me.”

FYI

* WHAT: The Mark Morris Dance Group

* WHEN: 8 p.m. today and Saturday

* WHERE: Irvine Barclay Theatre, 4242 Campus Drive, Irvine.

* COST: $35 and $40

* CALL: (949) 854-4646