Mark Morris Dance Group returns to brighten Mason stage

Billy Smith (male dancer) is a George Mason University alum participating in the Mark Morris Dance Group (photo courtesy of Stephanie Berger).

On Feb. 22 and 23, The Mark Morris Dance Group entertained audiences with their performance at Mason’s Concert Hall.

The Mark Morris Dance Group is a New York-based dance company that has an impressive history of international involvement.

Under the artistic direction of Mark Morris, dancers gave a performance that was colorful, creative and fun.

The contemporary dance was not the only element that added to the program. Colin Fowler, Todd Palmer and Georgy Valtchev also made up the Mark Morris Dance Group Music Ensemble and provided the music for three of the four pieces that were performed during the show.

Though the live music was phenomenal and worked well for the dances they accompanied, there was one performance titled, “A Wooden Tree,” that used an array of pre-recorded music and words to add life and humor to the piece.

The simple shapes and interesting transitions used in this piece, along with the use of spoken word, helped convey different short stories to the audience who were laughing throughout the amusing performance.

This quick-paced, entertaining assortment of dances had an almost musical theater feel with the addition of props and more complex costuming compared to the other pieces in their repertoire.

Mason students were also impressed to see Mason alumni Rita Donahue and Billy Smith perform with the dance group.

Overall, the performance was lively, intriguing and well-received. The combination of the choreography and music made the pieces  balanced and exciting.