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Flash Review 2, 5-31:
Whacking with Jennifer
In the End, Muller Leaves Me Feeling Nothing
Video
Clip! 1.6 MB
By Ben Munisteri
Copyright 2000 Ben Munisteri
Jennifer Muller's determined
blend of Modern and Jazz celebrates its 25-year anniversary this
week at The Joyce Theater. Last night's program of Jennifer Muller/The
Works ("A") was a long one and featured four premieres and one revival.
It is hard for me to reconcile Muller's diametrically opposed sensibilities
-- modern art vs. clever entertainment -- especially since I claim
to be a fan of both. The concert was at times witty, often virtuosic,
sometimes musical; at times monotonous, sometimes hackneyed, occasionally
beautiful; and, finally, puzzling. Almost two hours after the concert's
end, I must ask "How could something that consciously puts forth
so much drama and heart leave me feeling so empty?" I'm not sure
of the answer right now (Flash Reviews aren't designed for much
reflection), but my disconnected feeling is made more disconcerting
by the abundance of program and press packet rhetoric about the
company's passion, community, and commitment to "dance that matters."
While I genuinely enjoyed the first part of the program, I am heavy-hearted
to admit that, by the end, like Morales in "A Chorus Line," I felt
nothing.
Which is not to say the
program was not altogether without merit (and I'm not just saying
that because the Joyce Theater's Martin Wechsler was sitting next
to me). The first piece, the new "Beethoven -- Not Four Naught,"
set to a Beethoven quartet was well-made and musical. Groups of
summering and playful folk wove around each other in sharp diagonals
and reconnoitered in one long horizontal line upstage. The compositional
interplays were fast, funny, and impressive. Muller arranged her
12 dancers with such aplomb and musicality that I was surprised
when the piece ended so soon. But "Beethoven"'s unexpected ending
is refreshing; the length is perfect. I wish that this piece's terrific
qualities -- composition, invention, brevity -- had imbued more
of the evening's program.
The next piece was Muller's
new "aSOlo," which is a very clever and demanding duet (of sorts)
for composer Marty Beller and a single dancer, who will vary throughout
the run. Leonardo Smith was very impressive tonight as he put himself
through his paces while speaking a difficult and often intense monologue.
Beller's homemade percussive accompaniment required the composer
to race about and around a large upstage table; in his blue pastel
pajamas he is a delight to hear and behold. He drums out a funky
beat on the floor, runs to break open a head of lettuce, speed-sweeps
the floor, and plays a digital sample of NBC's Olympic theme music.
He and Smith are very funny together.
Muller's text concerns
the speaker's chronic anxiety as it relates to everyday life. Indeed,
the litany of worries -- encompassing credit card debt, frequent
flyer miles, the empty refrigerator -- sounds familiar. Smith's
comic delivery is very good, his dancing is remarkably clean, and
he never runs out of breath (and I'm not saying that just because
his father was sitting behind me). But the text's humorous, schticky
complaints never developed into anything more, and I wished they
had. Yes, at one or two points Smith concludes that in order to
fix his problems he must change his entire life -- reminding me
of Rilke's "Archaic Torso of Apollo." But where this statement is
Rilke's shocking epiphany it isn't much more than a punch line for
Muller. (Also, I have to address Muller's statement about "changing
from a human being into a human doing." Am I the only one who recognizes
that as a line from a Simpsons episode some eight or nine years
ago?)
The next piece, "Hymn
for Her," puts forth the conceit of an angel (Anton Wilson) who
descends from heaven and watches over a tormented woman (Yumiko
Yoshikawa). Then they dance a duet, which I believe is meant to
convey conflict and pathos. But this device can't survive the monotonous
and hackneyed choreography and partnering. Unfortunately, it got
very tired very fast.
The following dance,
"Winter Pieces" was resurrected from The Works's debut season in
1974, and, wow, did it look that way. The score, by Burt Alacantara,
could have been titled "Fun with the Moog Synthesizer." It was very
difficult to listen to, and the choreography was infuriatingly opaque
and endless. I appreciate it as an early effort in a long, successful
career, but why do people have to pay to watch it now? It's awful!
At this point my downward
spiral is all but unstoppable. So, I do not have much patience for
the final piece, "Spores, Solitude & Summer Humming" (a premiere),
which is a group work set to music by Bobby McFerrin. About half-way
through the piece three men lift three women across the stage. The
side lights are hot and the dancers are glistening. For a moment
I see three deities soaring against a crepuscular sky, and it's
lovely. The rest of the dance is self-consciously funky or sexy
-- like a bad actor trying to convey "sultry," or "hot." The compositional
density so evident in "Beethoven" is almost completely absent here.
After a while I cannot see anything; dancers walk on stage, do their
section, and leave. I would love a diagonal, or a canon, or some
other device on which I can focus my eyes. But the dance is interminable
and rambling.
A very accomplished dancer
once remarked to me that, in his opinion, Jennifer Muller's dancers
were mostly concerned with "whacking." He meant that the paramount
goal of their kicks was maximum leg height. His implication was
that to whack one's leg as high as it will go -- while visually
arresting -- is to sacrifice dynamic range, turn-out, pelvic placement,
line, expression, and ultimately integrity. I wish Muller's choreography
were less about whacks, turns, and what I perceive as simplistic
and phony representations of emotion. But obviously, after 25 years,
she is clear about her artistic choices. She is making the kind
of dances she wants to make, and I can certainly respect that. For
info on Muller's Joyce season, go to http://www.joyce.org/muller2k.HTML
Ben Munisteri is a New
York-based choreographer and dancer. For more info on Mr. Munisteri
and his company, go to http://www.munisteri.com/.
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