Jennifer Brown

MIX MASTERS

By Jennier Brown

Published in the Wisconsin State Journal October 11, 2007

 

Classically-trained ballet dancers twirling around on skis.

Bodies catapulting into the air with ten-foot poles.

 

Dances featuring big red balloons and Peter Gabriel music that celebrates the spawning of salmon.

 

To some this may sound like something Alice would have found behind the looking glass; to the members of Momix, it’s just another day’s work. Bold, innovative and evocative, this is dance theater in top form. For more than 20 years, Momix — performing at Overture Hall on Saturday night — has pushed the physical and creative boundaries of dance to new levels. Founder and artistic director Moses Pendleton wouldn’t have it any other way.

 

“With Momix, you can expect the unexpected,” says Pendleton. “It’s not your normal dance. It has dances using large hula hoops, strange shadow play and lots of things that aren’t in your normal dance show. “

Like his unconventional company, Pendleton’s own life was anything but ordinary. Born on a dairy farm in northern Vermont, he developed his love of movement early in life on the ski slopes. A state-champion ski-racer, Pendleton sought out dance while at Dartmouth College to improve his agility for skiing. Once he started dancing, however, he found himself captivated by dance’s seductive side.

 

“My dance instructor was more attractive than my ski instructor, ” he jokes, “need I say more?”

After graduating in 1971, he and his fellow dancemates formed Pilobolus, an acrobatic dance group whose popularity sprang up almost overnight. Pendleton’s own success rose quickly too, and he found himself working more and more on independent projects. Soon he was ready for more creative freedom, and in 1980 Momix was born. Pendleton had another sensation on his hands with Momix, and soon his fanciful creations were getting international exposure. But through all acclaims and accomplishments, Pendleton hasn’t lost sight of the most important element of his dances.

 

“I think the message is in the dream. I think fantasy is an integral part of our reality, and as we get older we shouldn’t forget that – the spirit of the child, the play. We work hard at our play, ” Pendleton says. “It’s nice that I work with young, intelligent and capable people. I like being the professor. I learn a lot from them. I enjoy the spirit of youth — it keeps us young.”

 

Not satisfied with watching his dancers have all the fun, Pendleton makes sure to join in on their play from time to time.

 

“Recently, [the company and I] went to a party. I haven’t danced in a while, but I had a few glasses of champagne, and I got worked up to dance with my company. I think they took lots of pictures of me dancing with everyone,” he laughs. “It’s fun to play with your company. But right now, ” he quips, “my back is suffering.”

 

A small price to pay, it seems, to stay immersed in the lovely, strange world of Momix.