Photo Credit: MOMIX
The Sharon Lynne Wilson Center for the Arts opens its new season this week with the visually striking MOMIX company.
MOMIX founder and artistic director Moses Pendleton was a co-founder of the groundbreaking Pilobolus Dance Theatre in 1971. By the end of that decade, Pendleton had begun to work outside of Pilobolus, choreographing with other groups including Chicago’s Joffrey Ballet and La Scala in Milan, Italy. He also created the closing ceremonies for the Winter Olympics at Lake Placid in 1980, the same year that he founded MOMIX. Says Pendleton, “Though there are some similarities between the two groups, Pilobolus uses bodies as props, where MOMIX uses props as bodies. We are not a modern dance company—we are an athletic company.”
Pendleton places an emphasis on unique costumes and props and sets them amongst innovative lighting effects. Diverse musical scores are used, ranging from Vivaldi to birdsongs.
MOMIX rapidly established a reputation for highly inventive and often illusionistic choreography. The influence can be seen in Cirque du Soleil, created 10 years later. The troupe tours steadily, often splitting into two groups. The full company has 16 dancers, with nine visiting Milwaukee.
“We feature dancers who manipulate their bodies and incorporate props in a unique and astounding way,” says Pendleton. “While there is no concrete storyline in our work, MOMIX performances evoke emotions through a theater of light and bodies.”
Pendleton has a Wisconsin connection. “My father almost moved the family to Wisconsin to work with dairy cows. I’ve visited Wisconsin many times—I follow the Packers religiously.”
The work slated for the Wilson Center, Viva MOMIX, is a variety of sections from other full-length productions. Says Pendleton, “Let MOMIX take you on a trip you won’t soon forget.”
Viva MOMIX will be presented on Saturday, Sept. 28, at the Sharon Lynne Wilson Center for the Arts, 3270 Mitchell Park Drive, Brookfield.
Dark Matter at The Constructivists
Founded just last year, The Constructivists is a new theater company that prefers the somber side of the human condition. Founder and artistic director Jaimelyn Gray explained their mission: “We lean towards darker plays; our company offers stories of catharsis, anger and fear to balance off of the lighter human emotions.”
They certainly found angst in the play The God of Hell, created by American playwright Sam Shepard. The work was written as a response to the events of September 11, 2001, and has been described by Shepard as “a take-off on Republican fascism.” The plot concerns a Wisconsin dairy farmer and his wife, and how their peaceful Midwest life is destroyed by a mysterious, ultra-patriotic government employee in pursuit of one of the couple’s friends. The play was first produced in New York in 2004.
“This is a tale worth telling,” says Gray. “It shows how we are responsible for our own democracy. We need to hold our elected officials accountable. That is on us.”
Gray has worked with Utah Shakespeare Festival and a few local companies, covering both acting and administrative roles. She anticipates a successful season and looks forward to casting her shows. “We have the chance to work with great local actors,” she says. “Milwaukee has an astounding range of theatrical talent.”
The company also offers a two-day audition workshop that pairs playwrights with directors and actors for a one-week process that culminates in a reading with an audience.
The God of Hell opens Friday, Sept. 27, at the Underground Collaborative, 161 W. Wisconsin Ave.
