Desert Journey

Momix takes audiences on a surrealistic trip in ‘Opus Cactus’ at the State Theatre.

By: Susan Van Dongen

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   Based in rural Washington, Conn., the "dance/illusionist" troupe Momix keeps a close connection with nature, even in and around the administrative offices. Founder and choreographer Moses Pendleton has an especially strong love for sunflowers — probably admiring their posture and dramatic "costumes."
   For example, every year "he plants a sunflower garden in his backyard, and varies the configuration," says Momix dancer Suzanne Lampl. "It’s almost like a living maze. He’s had a fascination with sunflowers all his life, it’s a signature of Moses — and Momix. In fact, there are usually at least 10 or 20 old sunflower heads loaded with seeds in the office. So you’ll often see references to sunflowers in the choreography. It’s such an animated flower and so remarkable."
   This interest in the natural world is reflected in the troupe’s Opus Cactus, a work inspired by the life and landscape of the Arizona desert, as well as sandscapes around the world. Ms. Lampl suggests, though, that the audience also be prepared to imagine a desert on Mars.

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   "There is often nature imagery and references in the show but with the Momix flair that takes you outside of the ordinary perception," Ms. Lampl says. "It’s not the exact interpretation of our world, but seeing our world through a different perspective."
   Momix invites the audience to come on a journey to the surrealistic desert with its performance of Opus Cactus at the State Theatre in New Brunswick Jan. 26.
   Inspired by the giant saguaro cactus, Opus Cactus is Mr. Pendleton’s sensual tribute to the beauty and exquisite creatures of the Southwestern Sonoran Desert — from the cactus wren to the Gila monster. Using props, lighting, humor and the mind-boggling moves of its dancers, Momix creates fantastic, body-bending images. The performance also features full-stage puppet creations by Michael Curry, one of the creators of the puppets for the Broadway hit The Lion King. All of this is set to an eclectic soundtrack, including music by proto-techno artist Brian Eno.

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   "There’s everything from classical to new age to tribal chants to ‘Buddha Bar’ with a kick — it’s all very rhythmic," Ms. Lampl says. "But all the music is influenced by desert people from around the globe — Arabic, Native American and African."
   Originally commissioned by the Arizona Ballet, the first incarnation of Opus Cactus paid homage to the flora and fauna found there. The performance is playful as it is evocative, and several members of the troupe contributed their ideas and devices to push the piece to the limits of the imagination.
   The choreographer and dancers observed the way animals interact and move about in their natural habitat to get an overall vision of the work. Then they incorporated props like swings, hammocks, stilts, poles and structures that literally rock and roll to create impressions of cacti, flower buds, fluttering birds and tumbling tumbleweeds.
   The slithering Gila monster sequence has become a Momix signature, but again, this is no reptile you’d find on Earth.
   "For ‘Gila Monster’ we had the idea, ‘What if the chameleon broke into six pieces and they all became animated?’" Ms. Lampl says. "It leaves things more open to interpretation and the audience can be inspired to use their imaginations."
   Wearing spandex costumes of bright red with the distinctive black-and-white markings of the desert chameleon, the sequence starts off with four dancers lying on their stomachs. They’ve placed their heads between the thighs of the dancer in front of them so their bodies are completely interwoven, undulating around on their stomachs and all fours, not using their feet at all throughout the sequence. Just like the parts of a Gila monster’s body can regenerate itself if detached, the dancers break apart and come to life, moving around onstage with their hands.
   "You have to put yourself outside of your body and understand the total image," Ms. Lampl says. "It’s not about the individual dancer. For example, with ‘Gila Monster,’ it’s sometimes more than one person forming an image together, so you can’t think of yourself and what you look like onstage. You’re flat and crawling on the ground — it’s more like acting.
   "You’ve morphed from your human form and you have to put your mind into creating movements and gestures that convey the image instead," she continues. "It’s a very different way of moving and creating, but there are also moments that are very balletic and graceful, so you have to be a versatile dancer."
   Momix has been creating and presenting works of exceptional creativity for about 20 years, under Mr. Pendleton’s direction. The troupe has performed throughout North and South America, Europe, the United Kingdom, Russia, the Far East and Australia. They’ve participated in broadcasts around the world, including PBS’ Dance in America series. In addition, Momix was featured in Imagine, one of the first IMAX films in 3-D, which premiered at the Taejon Expo ’93 in Korea and has been seen at IMAX theaters worldwide.
   The dancers need to be adaptable and willing to take on grueling daily rehearsals as well the company’s whirlwind touring schedule. Ms. Lampl, who has been with the troupe for 15 years, says being with Momix can be a strange kind of work, especially for a classically trained dancer.
   "I studied at conservatory programs at the North Carolina School of the Arts, the London School of Dance and the State University of New York at Purchase and nothing prepared my body for this kind of work," she says, taking a break during a typical five- or six-hour rehearsal session. "It’s very specific because of the bodywork. But I also don’t think of it as gymnastics, just a much more total body experience. Rehearsing is grueling, but it prepares you for what you’ll be doing on tour, develops the stamina and muscle tone."
   Like the theory of Zen archery, thanks to the rehearsing, the physical "work" involved in the dance drops away and the Momix performers become supple instruments of expression.
   "By rehearsing, you execute a more enlightened performance — it can bring you a different understanding and tolerance level of what your body is doing," Ms. Lampl says. "You don’t focus on the body but the images and quality you are conveying."
Momix will perform Opus Cactus at the State Theatre, 15 Livingston Ave., New Brunswick, Jan. 26, 8 p.m. Tickets cost $18-$38. For information, call (732) 246-7469. On the Web: www.statetheatrenj.org. Momix on the Web: www.momix.com