FIVE QUESTIONS
Mark Morris dance 'begins with the music'

By Wayne Harada
Advertiser Entertainment Writer

•	Mark Morris Dance Group 8 p.m. Saturday Blaisdell Concert Hall $25, $35, $45; group discounts available ticketmaster.com, (877) 750-4400

"Oh, we're going to see her Thursday," he said in a telephone interview from his Brooklyn headquarters, about the beloved Hawaiian entertainer. "I'm not a big Hawaiian music fan, but I love Auntie Genoa, and particularly the old stuff ... like Sol Ho'opi'i's music, too. It all goes back to the time I was a teenager."

With the Mark Morris Dance Group, Morris brings a repertoire that includes "Serenade" with music by Lou Harrison, "Going Away Party" with music by Bob Willis and His Texas Playboys, and "A Spell" with music by John Wilson.

So far, there's no work with Island flourishes or music by Genoa Keawe.

We asked him Five Questions:

What's the inspiration for your dance choreography?

"Everything I do comes from music directly. For me, it has to start with a piece of music. We all live and work in the world; read, watch TV, travel. They are influences, but when I create a dance, it's got to begin with the music."

What's the foundation for your dance — tap, jazz, ballet, modern?

"Dance is dance, and what I do on stage is what I do in life. Part education, part living, watching and studying. It's all of the above."

Who's your favorite composer?

"Bach, for sure; I've choreographed a couple of dances to his music. But I listen to a lot of music, and often, I know a piece for many years, before working it into a show."

How often do you hit the road?

"We work year-round, really; based in Brooklyn. We have a season in New York, two in Berkeley, one in Boston, and London's a regular stop. We travel half the year, but have a rehearsal period prior to our New York season. Got to make up some new stuff. Before Hawai'i, we're in Fairfax, Va. Then I have to work on a ballet for the San Francisco Ballet."

Is it a challenge to outdo your last show each time you're at bat?

"It's an artistic challenge, yes, but I just want all that I do to be very good. I don't try to top myself. I expect each show to be different. With a large repertoire, my shows are varied, all the time. And that's a goal. Retire from performing? I don't know but it's coming. But because I only do my own works, if it gets too hard to do, I can change it."

A local footnote: Maile Okamura, a dancer from San Diego whose parents are from Honolulu, is part of the Mark Morris Dance Group.

Reach Wayne Harada at wharada@honoluluadvertiser.com, 525-8067 or fax 525-8055.