This is not your grandparent’s dance troupe.
Choreographer Moses Pendleton has created “Alchemia,” another fascinating MOMIX production with his innovative company of dancer-illusionists, set to hit the GMU stage at 8 p.m., Friday, May 1 and 8 p.m., Saturday May 2 at the school’s Concert Hall.
“It’s not really just a dance company, but it’s not an acrobatic troupe either; it’s a mix of ballet and dance and acrobatics, an alchemical blend of a lot of different elements,” Pendleton says. “There’s a lot of energy. It tweaks the imagination and even if you don’t normally go to a dance concert, anyone will enjoy it.”
Alchemia combines a dazzling multimedia spectacle with dance performance art that needs to be seen to be believed. Visuals such as a puppet fire, a tent that seems to be made of molten gold and mirror-generated hordes all are part of a bigger story and performed to new-age style music.
“You should expect the unexpected. With that in mind, you should open up, sit back and let MOMIX take you on a bit of a trip,” Pendleton says. “We use lots of various props and images and movement and lighting and sound to create another world that we hope will be of interest to the general public.”
Creating a show like this takes not just a vision from an artist, but the discipline to shape that vision and stay with it long enough to share with others. That dedication is what has made MOMIX so impressive over the years, as Pendleton has churned out one dazzling show after another.
“I’ve always considered MOMIX in alchemical metaphors. It has to do with transformation and the elements of fire and water and Earth and air, and I’ve always been interested in that,” he says. “This show has a lot to do with those core elements and delves into the unconscious. We hope it will take people into another zone.”
Pendleton’s choreography and his company have enthralled audiences for over three decades on stages all over the world, including the awe-inspiring 2014 Olympic opening ceremonies. The dancing is very physical and challenging but the 10 MOMIX performers are some of the best in the world.
The troupe has been part of PBS’s “Dance in America” series, France’s Antenne II, and Italian RAI television, plus the company’s repertory has been broadcast to 55 countries.
Although not a family show per se, Pendleton believes that young people and their imaginations will be “very keen on the show.”
“It appeals to a broad spectrum of age groups,” he says. “It doesn’t tell a story so much that it presents through this physical, visual theater, something evocative, not unlike sculpture. We have to prescribe to certain dramatic principles and make for a positive experience for everyone. The more an audience can pay attention to details, the more successful the show is for everyone.”
For tickets or more information, call 888-945-2468 or visit cfa.gmu.edu.
