Interview: Mark Morris - Lord of the dance

Published on Wednesday 28 October 2009 17:56

MARK Morris's deep love of live music has been well documented over the years. As a choreographer, he insists on live music, and as an audience member he can't get enough of it. Recently the New Yorker has even turned his hand to conducting. On the opening night of his company's current UK tour, however, Morris got a little more live music than he bargained for.

Sharing the hotel bar with a group of Norwegian businessmen, the Morris troupe found themselves in a deadlock – the Norway contingent wanted the TV on, Morris did not.

"I said to them, 'Why don't you talk to each other? Or you could sing'," recalls Morris. "So a few minutes later we hear drunk Norwegian singing. But it was much better than a TV. Every bar in my country has seven TVs, it freaks me out. Where's the people part? That's what I like."

Morris may, as he says, like people – but not all of them. The 53-year-old has a formidable reputation for seeing off journalists with his acerbic wit. So when I step inside his Bradford hotel suite, the words "lion" and "den" spring to mind.

Happily, Morris is in a good mood. The previous evening, a large and appreciative crowd came to the first of 16 dates his company will perform during its six-week tour. And, inebriated Scandinavians aside, he's having a nice time in Bradford – his first visit in the company's 30-year history. "We didn't know if anybody was going to come," he says. "But as it turns out, there was a big audience – some familiar with dance, others not. It was like, 'Hurrah, here we go!' And the show was really good."

That closing line is said almost as a throwaway comment, but it speaks volumes about Morris's long-held confidence. Since forming his own company in 1980, he has known the value of his own worth. Whether he is creating accessible, enjoyable works for his own dancers, being commissioned by English National Opera or collaborating with the likes of Yo-Yo Ma or Mikhail Baryshnikov, Morris is well within his comfort zone.

He is also one of the only choreographers to join his dancers on-stage for a bow – a gesture usually reserved solely for world premieres. But when you see the pleasure on his face as he does it, you have to wonder why more choreographers don't allow themselves a moment in the spotlight.

Now approaching his mid-50s, Morris is dancing less and less these days, and won't perform at all on this UK tour. Will he miss the stage when he eventually hangs up his dance shoes?

"No," he says emphatically. "I'm not as megalomaniacal as one would make out. I'm certainly confident and I think I do good work – but it's not just about me. I would have performed in these dances a number of years ago, before I was twice as old as the people who are doing them now, but I don't want to look like the creepy uncle. I love watching other people dance, I don't wish I was one of them." Which is just as well, because two of the four works being performed on this tour were created for Morris by Morris but have now been handed over to younger dancers.

Unlike in Bradford, Morris is a known quantity in Edinburgh, having built up a loyal following through copious repeat visits (not least the company's six consecutive appearances at the Edinburgh International Festival).

His musical choices often attract a non-dance audience, eager to hear the Morris Ensemble play a diverse range of work – and this visit is no exception. As well as the Bach-set Italian Concerto and George Gershwin solo Three Preludes, Edinburgh audiences will also be treated to Bedtime, a powerful work accompanied by a mezzo soprano, two tenors and two baritones singing Schubert. The night closes with the much-loved Grand Duo – a Morris signature work featuring 14 dancers and a whole lot of joyous movement.

In these cash-strapped times, it's not easy to tour with musicians, but Morris's insistence on live music shows no sign of abating. From an audience point of view, the benefits are obvious. But what about the performers? "Because it's happening right at that moment, both the musicians and the dancers are making micro adjustments all the time," explains Morris. "So it's never the same, but it's always reliable. Some people might see it as a luxury, but to me it's a necessity. I know it's easier and cheaper to have recorded music, and you can have a giant orchestra playing on a CD – but I prefer to just use a piano and violin, and have them both live."

Live music will also feature heavily in Morris's contribution to Off Kilter, the major dance happening at Edinburgh Festival Theatre this Hogmanay. As a patron of Dance Base, Morris was an obvious choice for Off Kilter's director Morag Deyes to seek a new piece from. Given his busy schedule, however, why did he say yes?

"Because I was asked, and because of my affiliation with Morag, Dance Base and Scotland generally," he says. "I'm making up a dance to gorgeous arrangements by Beethoven of Scottish folk songs from the early 19th century, with piano, violin, cello and soprano." Morris has short shrift for those complaining that the Off Kilter programme should be exclusively Scottish.

"I think maybe they could lighten up a bit," he laughs. "I don't have to speak Gaelic to be in this show – I was asked and I'm happy to do it. So it's Beethoven and me on the topic of Scottish music – and we'll see what happens."

&#149 Mark Morris Dance Group perform at Edinburgh Festival Theatre, 6-7 November. Off Kilter is at the same venue, 29 December to 2 January.