Veteran choreographers delve into love, loss, improvisation

Those who actually like surprises in dance performances should enjoy this weekend: Daniel McCusker presents his new "Breadcrumbs," which he bills as "a movement project," at Green Street Studios tomorrow and Saturday; and Anna Myer and Dancers perform "The Presence of That Absence" at the Tsai Performance Center on the same nights.

The works may be unknown quantities, but the choreographers aren't. Both Myer and McCusker have presented their work in Boston for over a decade.

"The Presence of That Absence" takes its title from a line from Edna St. Vincent Millay that reflects Myer's acute consciousness of love and loss. "Even when I was a little girl, I'd worry about losing my husband," the choreographer says, "although, of course, I didn't have one then."

The score for "Presence" includes a suite of Russian Gypsy lullabies, written and played by Javok Jakolouv. Myer, 48, describes the choreography as "a series of people leaving others, people left with just memories and shadows."

"Worry," "nervous," "sad," and "unsafe" are words that crop up repeatedly in her conversation. She gets the fears out through dance. No, she says, "I don't make comic dances. I'm not a dark person, just a real romantic."

Her 1998 "Quintet to Brahms," also on this weekend's program, is a nod to Myer's romanticism and her classical training. In it, the dancers sport Russian-made tutus -- and bare feet. "It's wearing tutus on my terms," she says. "It's my own `Swan Lake.' "

But not her swan song. "I see myself dancing for a couple more years, until I'm 50."

Why "movement project" instead of "dance"? Because the latter term implies something more permanent, at least to McCusker, who explains that "I think this weekend will be its only life. It was made for this space, and these dancers. I'd be very surprised if we did the work again."

In making it, McCusker, 52, created a set of rules for the cast of 13 to follow. "One is about how each dancer has to pass over, under, or through whoever is in front of them in a line. Within the rules, the dancers can improvise."

The title "Breadcrumbs" alludes to the remains of a meal and to the fairy-tale path back home. "The material comes from a series of pieces I made over the last year and a half," he says. He's reworked them to a score by Tom Johnson, called "An Hour for Piano," with designer John Kramer providing props in the form of black shoes.

"Movement project" isn't the only term on which McCusker holds definite views. "Everyone asks if we're a company," he says. "Because I danced with Lucinda Childs, I have a particular idea about what a company is: People are paid decently; it's a primary commitment for everyone; there's enough work to keep it going; and there's a board structure."

There's not a single modern dance company in Boston that answers that description these days, including McCusker's group. But, he adds, "That could change."

"Breadcrumbs" is presented by Daniel McCusker tomorrow and Saturday at Green Street Studios, Central Square, Cambridge. To reserve tickets, call 617-864-3191. "The Presence of That Absence" is presented by Anna Myer and Dancers tomorrow and Saturday at the Tsai Performance Center, Boston University. Tickets: Tsai box office, 617-353-8724.