Defying gravity

"He rises and begins to round,

He drops the silver chain of sound,

Of many links without a break,

In chirrup, whistle, slur and shake."

-- George Meredith, "The Lark Ascending"

The man with the lighter-than-air constitution believes dance is more than an art form: It is a metaphor for living.

"Each time I see the lark ascend I know why we dance," says Bruce Marks, renowned exponent of the terpsichorean muse. "I think that every morning we get up and we try to defy gravity. The very act of getting out of bed is a first step. And we spend the whole day trying to achieve something.

"When I see the lark fly, I realize that's what each day is about: making something work, trying to do something better. I still find this a touching concept."

Marks, the celebrated former dance star and choreographer, was in Charleston last week working with dancers of the Charleston Ballet Theatre, who will perform his piece "Lark Ascending" as part of the company's annual Masterpieces of Dance program at 7:30 p.m. Saturday at the Sottile Theatre.

"Lark Ascending" shares the bill with George Balanchine's "Serenade" and "Rubies," the latter pieces coached by Jerri Kumery, balletmaster of the Richmond Ballet.

Marks assays them as highly complementary works.

" 'Serenade' is perhaps my favorite ballet ever, a perfect work of art," he says. "I was one of the lucky few to have worked with Balanchine after 1948 at the American Ballet Theatre. He is our Mozart, the greatest choreographer who ever lived, and it's very humbling to be the other choreographer on a Balanchine program."

Marks, who studied at the High School of the Performing Arts and the Juilliard School, began his career in 1956 with the Metropolitan Opera Ballet, earning soloist status in 1958.

From 1961 to 1971, he was one of the most accomplished dancers at the American Ballet Theatre, while giving guest performances with the Royal Swedish Ballet, London Festival Ballet and the Royal Danish Ballet, where he became a principal dancer from 1971 to 1976.

During the 1980s and most of the '90s, Marks served as the artistic ballet director for the Boston Ballet. Most recently, he was artistic director at the Orlando Ballet.

Marks lives in New York, but given his travel schedule, any permanent "residence" seems tenuous. Marks arrived in Charleston directly from a tour in Burma and Cambodia. Next comes Japan, where he shepherds the revival of a ballet.

"Then its off to Kuala Lumpur (in Malaysia) and then Borneo. Then it's back to the States, and three weeks later off to Beijing, where I will teach at the national ballet."

Fortunately, Marks' energy, and brio, are undiminished by time.

His "Lark Ascending" has its genesis in a popular 1914 orchestral piece by British composer Ralph Vaughan Williams, "The Lark Ascending," itself inspired by George Meredith's 122-line poem of the same name.

"How this ballet came about is very simple," Marks says. "I had just signed a contract to leave my work as a dancer and be the artistic director of Ballet West, the members of which I was to join in Aspen. As I was driving in the mountains, I turned on the radio and heard 'The Lark Ascending.' I took that as a sign. The music was so apropos."

Marks says the ballet harbors great metaphorical meaning "about achievement and attaining one's goals, especially for a young ballet company like Ballet West, which had a $1 million budget and $500,000 deficit when I arrived. But it flew."

And continues to do so.

"Lark Ascending" is a prime example of the choreographer moving back and forth between the mediums of ballet and modern dance, but today Marks somewhat regrets the sobriquet once bestowed on him as the King of Crossover.

"Now I tend to believe we did our best work when we focused on one thing, rather than crossing over."

Nor does he intend to cross over into retirement any time soon.

"I was once warned that I should not retire because it's more work for less money, which I found to be absolutely true. I keep trying to get out and I keep getting pulled back in."

This time, the CBT gets the "blame." But he found the company's dancers to be delightfully quick studies.

"They knew the piece, and had been taught the steps before I got here. It was a matter of investing the ballet with all that I intended it to have: that sense of aspiration. It's a deceptively simple-looking ballet, but isn't very simple, especially for a woman, who is on stage for 16 minutes and dances that full 16 minutes. That's a long time. In fact, no one ever leaves the stage."

Marks agrees that teaching can be as exhilarating as dancing, and relishes the positive influence he can have on young dancers.

"It can be so wonderful to see someone 'get it.' And that happened just this week (with the CBT dancers). I also taught a ballet class and had a wonderful time. Whenever I give graduate lectures and that sort of thing, I try to be as encouraging as possible. I tell them there is nothing more practical or more important than what they are about to do."

As to another superlative, the tag "living legend," Marks demurs.

"I always think it's better than being called a dead legend, but I take it with a grain of salt. I am probably now the oldest functioning American-born artistic director, which is why people sometimes say this. I have this 'title' because I've survived. I don't really buy it much. I simply do what I do. I loved learning what I learned.

"I've worked during two golden ages, at the Metropolitan Opera Ballet, then the American Ballet Theatre with such people as Balanchine and Martha Graham. No one got the chance I got. Now my job is bringing that material and everything I learned to another generation, I consider that my work."

Tickets for the performance are $35-$45 ($10 less for students). They are available by calling 723-7334 or online at www.charlestonballet.org.

Reach Bill Thompson at bthompson@postandcourier.com or 937-5707.