Momix in ‘Orbit’ at the Herod Atticus
The famous Momix, or Moses Mixture dance troupe – named after their founder, Moses Pendleton – are back in Greece, where they are extremely popular. Tonight they are unfurling the rich and varied magic carpet of their art for their second and last performance at the Herod Atticus Theater. Their craft owes much to the art of dance, but also to the circus, pantomime and the athleticism of acrobatics. «Resourceful and impossible to label, Momix blurs the lines between dance and athleticism,» comments music critic Klimentini Vounelaki in the Athens Festival program. «Without pomp, taboos, and prejudice but with a deep sense of humor, imagination and inventiveness, this group of ‘dancers/miracle makers,’ as their artistic director and founder so aptly describes them, delivers theater of visual fantasy centered on its dancers’ bodies.» This American troupe, which gives modern dance a new dimension by introducing a strong element of acrobatics to the art, is famed for its ability to shape a world of surreal images by means of sets, lighting, shadows and humor. Momix’s program for this year is called «Orbit.» It is a kind of anthology of the best scenes from all their performances, put together to celebrate their 20-year career – a retrospective of the best. The only new piece in the performance is also called «Orbit» and it premiered yesterday in Athens. It is performed by a dancer of Greek origin, Nicole Louizidi, choreographed by Rein Eliot and Moses Pendleton. This is followed by extracts from «Jonas et Latude,» «TUU,» «Spawning,» «Underwater Study,» «White Widow,» «Millennium Skina», «Table Talk,» «The Wind-Up (Baseball),» «Sputnik (Fellow Traveler)» and «EC.» These solos, duets and trios are performed to music ranging from Vivaldi to New Age and Massive Attack. Before he founded Momix in 1980, choreographer and director Moses Pendleton was a founding member of Philobolus, which had a profound influence on American dance in the second half of the 20th century via its non-elitist approach of adding elements of the circus and acrobatics to dance. Momix tonight at the Herod Atticus Theater, Dionysiou Areopagitou, Acropolis, tel 010.323.2771, 010.323.5582. Tickets from the Hellenic Festival box office, 39 Panepistimiou, tel 010.322.1459.
