The Michigan Daily - Tuesday, April 23, 1996 - 9B

Morris updates 'Dido'

Music acts unite at the Joe

By Orft Grfuberg
For the Daily
There is a reason why Mark Morris is
hailed as one of the most gifted and
creative choreographers of our time.
Saturday night's performance of"Dido
and AEneas" proved his talents.
Mark Morris's dances reverberate
with wit, a rare sense of humor and not
'nly entertain the
eyes but also the
heart and soul.
One of theMW
greatest thingsa
about his choreog-
raphy is that there.,it
are no rules, and
when Mark
Morris Dance
roup takes center stage you never
Sow what to expect. Because of his
eclectic background his pieces are a
smorgasbord of folk, contemporary and
modern dance as well as classical bal-
let. This is a combo that is rarely seen,
but it is especially unusual when ac-
companiedby Baroque music, as "Dido
and )Eneas" was.
Even so, Morris showed that folk can
mix with baroque.
"Dido and Eneas" was spiced with
'folk turns, heel stomping and tradi-
tional folk dance movements. Surpris-
inglyall his movements complemented
the music quite naturally.
But Morris usually goes against what
is natural or normal, and he always
remains an equal opportunity choreog-
rapher. In some of his pieces men take
on the roles of women. In "Dido and
, Eneas" both men and women were
dressed the same, in a skirt like cos-
Iume. One of the witches was a male
ancer who, at times, out-danced his
female partner.
However, the best role reversal was
Morris himself, equipped with gold Lee-

im
Of 11

Press-On-lookingnails and curly shoul-
der-length hair. He danced the title role
of Dido and (with a slight hair change)
the evil Sorceress. Morris performed
both female roles convincingly, but he
was especially entertaining as the Sor-
ceress. Maybe it was due to the fact that
the Sorceress's movements were not as
restrained as Dido's were.
Even though he
was the star of the
evening, much
rk Morris praise is due to his
talented company
co Group of dancers of all
higan Theater colors, sizes and
April 20, 1996 body types who
danced beauti-
fully together
throughout the performance.
Especially notable was Guillermo
Resto who portrayed AEneas as a strong
yet loving hero. Although his move-
ments were mostly gestures, his broad
and brawny body commanded a larger
than life appearance on stage.
Belinda, Dido's sister and confidante,
was wonderfully danced by Ruth
Davidson, a dancer who has performed
with the company since its inception in
1980.
But there was even more talent in the
pit, from where the Boston Baroque Or-
chestra and Chorus played their accom-
paniment. Jennifer Lane, one of the four
phenomenal soloists, sang Dido's "Re-
member me, but ah! forget my fate" aria
exquisitely. The orchestra played master-
fully under the baton of Martin Pearlman.
In the end, the musicians and singers
were the key ingredients for making the
evening's performance a completely
wonderful sensory feast.
And in case you missed this extraor-
dinary performance experience, not to
worry; the film version of "Dido and
Eneas" is in the works.

By Eugene Bowen
Daily Arts Writer
Rap, R & B and a touch of old-school
harmonizing will come together this
Saturday when R. Kelly, LL Cool J,
Xscape and Solo flex their lyrical and
vocal muscles at the Joe Louis Arena.
All four acts have released an album
within the last year.
LL Cool J is a man who needs no
introduction as he is probably the long-
est-surviving rapper today. A master of
metamorphosis, LL Cool J has a vast
hip-hop arsenal he could hit his crowd
with, from "Jingle 'Em Baby" to "I
Need Love" to "Round da Way Girl" to
"Mama Said Knock You out" to the
second single from his most recent LP,
"Mr. Smith," "Doin' It."
R. Kelly is no stranger to fame, either.
Though his days with Public Announce-
ment are far from memorable, his '94
release "12 Play" produced such a string
of hits, his name could neverbe forgotten.
Don't be surprised to hear many of those
cuts at Joe Louis: "Bump 'n Grind,"
"Body'sCalling,""Sex Me."Some songs
from his sophomore, self-named CD will
certainly be performed, of utmost impor-
tance, "You Remind Me of My Jeep."
The four-female group has definitely
showngreat vocal improvement with their
sophomore album,"Offthe Hook." While
some oftheiroldersongs like"Just Kickin'

It" and "Understanding" will most cer-
tainly be performed, so will cuts from
"Off the Hook," such as their "Who Can
I Run to" cover and "Work Me Slow."
The quartet Solo - a relatively new
acquisition by Perspective Records
will also appear, celebrating the release
of their debut, self-titled album. These
four guys have some of the most amaz
ing harmonizing skills I've heard since
Take 6, and their street-music hook will
attract you with its amazing simplicity:
Like they do on many cuts on their
album, Solo will most likely perform a
good number of covers with a slightly<
different, harmonized-tip sound.
The show takes place this Saturday at
Joe Louis Arena beginning at 7:30 p.m
Tickets are $27.50 and can be pur
chased at Ticketmaster. Even though
finals are fast approaching, and you
probably haven't even cracked a book
yet, you'd still be a fool not to attend.

LL Cool J and friends join in a concert at Joe Louis Arena on Saturday.

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