Share your reactions to Momix
Two of my childhood fascinations were always space travel and PBS nature documentaries. I didn’t realize I had outgrown neither fixation until last night’s Lunar Sea performance by Momix combined them into one thing.
The black-lit dancers seemed to give us a tour of an alien landscape, populated with creatures recognizable as life but distinctly unfamiliar. I felt like I was watching extraterrestrial nature on all scales – tidepool critters at one moment, bounding forest fauna at another, and later, shimmering, vibrating diatoms. Once, green-lit dancers seemed to show us a languid afternoon in some lunar palace; later, creatures like feather-lipped clams (or maybe sunflowers?) arranged themselves into something resembling DNA. And at one particularly dazzling moment, as the dancers sent waves through glowing cables stretched across the stage, string theory came to my mind. There was an intimacy and an honesty of movement, despite the distance suggested by the scrim between the dancers and the audience; as though these creatures knew we were there watching them but weren’t really interested in us.
There was a lot going on, to be sure.
And on a personal note, as PCA’s graphic designer, it was thrilling to see the images I’ve been using for the past year in our advertising come to life on the stage.
That’s how the performance struck me. How did it strike you? What did it make you think of? Use the comments feature of this blog to share your thoughts.
Oh, and while you’re here, be sure to check out PCA’s interview with the very entertaining Moses Pendleton, the director of Momix and the creator of Lunar Sea. It’s still online at our Momix page (rightmost column, down at the bottom). There’s also a video clip on that page of the first piece from Lunar Sea, if you want something to show your friends who missed it.
Michael Tooher says:
I was excited to hear that Momix was coming to PCA. so excited in fact that I bought tickets for my wife and myself. This is unusual because I usually work the PCA shows through the IATSE as a prop person.
I was astonished at the performance. It was trance like indeed. Sometimes hearing the applause was unwelcome, like being awaken from a beautiful dream.
I believe MOMIX is actually the dance of the new century, riding the razor edge of the avant garde into completely unexplored territory. I find it very exciting especially considering that they were combining old theater technology (black light) with amazing creativity.
I’d forgotten how much I enjoyed being challenged with new ideas. It makes me hungry for more.
Caleb Mason says:
I have seen Momix before and as much as I enjoyed this show, I do think the overall performance could have been more balanced. The opening dances lacked much variety in terms of light and effect and as such became a bit tiresome. Of course, I have no idea how difficult changing sets is for such a performance, but I would like to have seen a better mix of visible dancers with the illusion acts. Seeing the bodies and remarkable athleticism is such a big part of dance so I wish there had been more of this. I also think a classical piece would have made great use of their talents. PCA should be commended for bringing the show to town and overall it was mesmerizing and very enjoyable—possibly more so for a first-time viewer than a repeat?
Gary says:
I thought the show was visually clever, but to me, it could have been whittled down to about 20 minutes or so. Yes, the dancers were athletic, but athleticism is not necessarily artistry. This gets to the heart of my complaint about much modern dance these days, freakish athleticism is valued over the capacity to express depth of feeling. Overall, I was disappointed with the lack of depth in this show. Also, I found the images on the screen more interesting than the choreography.
Cheryl says:
The talent by far physically was amazing, and the graphics along with the music I thought was very interesting. I especially liked the changing of the lights and setting the mood to each story. It was great!
I’ll agree with Harry about he last comment, with the urgent email to arrive earily. Like him, we also had ushers walking in front of us more then once to seat people.
Thank you for making my evening even more enjoyable by allowing us here in Maine to see this wonderful performance!
Please come back!
priscilla says:
i thought the performance was interesting but didnt care for the music or the always in motion back drops. That was very distracting. I felt like I was on a trip. My husband hated it and I would not attend another one having seen this one.
Claudia and Kent says:
My husband and I were mesmerized by the performance last night-what a delight and pleasure to let our imaginations go rampant. The ‘birds’ segmant was beautiful; the ‘dancing umbrellas’ were like watching mushrooms or jellyfish in motion; and the segment of the clear exercise balls was unique. And my husband loved the ‘spiders’. Thank you for a wonderful evening.
douglas says:
They were really good, but after 20 minutes it was a little annoying. They should have done some classic ballet to slow down the show and just let the pure talent of the dancers show. The number with just the two members attached together in the red lighting was the best. The rest was sensory overload. it was like they were trying to impresss us with daring new things which is ok, however enough was enough. Don’t think I would ever go again. Music was good but could have been a little bit more lively.
Diane says:
As others have said, the dancers were amazing! However, I found the large graphics distracting. At times combined with the music, they actually made me a little queasy. I wish Momix had trusted that the dancers, dark stage and lighting were enough.
John McClean says:
Last nights performance of Momix’s Luna Sea was one of the most, if not the most, greatest productions of modern dance that I have ever experienced. This was an flawless expertly executed performance which was totally enjoyable.
It left the spirit uplifted and in a state of utopia. The dancers were of the highest caliber and were a true master of their profession. The mixing of the imagery and the music was a pure genius of the part of Moses Pendleton. The lighting and costume were pure perfection. This was definitely a 5 star production and could watch again and again.
John McClean
Scarborough, ME
HANK DOZIER says:
NO PERFORMANCE AT MERRILL IN THE PAST 12 YEARS COMPARED TO THIS. DURING MOMENTS IN THE PERFORMANCE I THOUGHT I HAD BEEN DRUGGED AND WAS LIVING IN A HALLUCINOGENIC SPELL OF LSD! THE VISUALS WERE A BIT MUCH ; SO TOO THE MUSIC(?) THAT ACCOMPANIED THE PERFORMANCE. THAT ASIDE, THE DANCERS WERE
5 STAR.
Karl Pepin says:
Thank you for bringing this extraordinary performance to the Merrill!
This was one of the most interesting, artistically innovative and mesmerizing performances I have seen. Responding to Anna’s comment, I fully appreciated the athleticism of the performers--it was obvious, despite the illusionary quality. And Harry’s characterization of one piece as a “virtual sex act” is Puritanical in my view. It was an artful and sensual expression in dance.
This was entertaining beyond my wildest expectations. Truly a world-class performance. Thank you for bringing Momix to the Merrill. We are all richer for it.
One comment on the late seating. I was one of those seated a minute or two after the show began, after getting caught in traffic. We sat down without disturbing anyone, and appreciate your willingness to accomodate your patrons.
Michael says:
I had difficulty staying awake. A boring performance after the first 15 minutes. In this case, the emperor really has no clothes. Had there been an intermission, we would have left at that point. (Perhaps that’s why there is no intermission with Momix?) Please don’t have them next year.
I agree with Harry—the two ‘red dancers’ acted out a fantasy from “Superbad.” No thanks.
And PCA, enforce your rules. Latecomers should never be admitted. Never. If they can’t get there on time, they wait until intermission, if there is one. Don’t punish the prompt.
Mark says:
Momix was a mesmerizing, sensual experience. The realization of a brilliant stage concept brought to the audience a menagerie of mysterious abstractions through masterful costumes, set design, and of course the dancing. It was a memorable night.
Lisa says:
A very unique and visually stimulating show! After a long tiring day, we did not know what to expect and were very pleasantly surprised at Mommix performance to entertain us! it was one new creative dance after another.
As for the choreography, performance and story, these dancers are NOT perfect machines which makes this even more amazing at what a great job they all did!
We had also planned out night accordingly knowing full well when the show was about to start.
We had a great time!
Dee says:
I was mesmerized by the concepts, creativity, fluidity and strength of the dancers. I’ve seen a lot of theatre in my time, but never anything like this! The biggest surprise was thinking that the female dancers were all tall, lithe beings, and finding out at the end they were not. An amazing testament to the costuming, lighting and extraordinary performance skills.
Perhaps, the only element(s) I found distracting occurred during a few of the scenarios when the images on the “front” screen were in constant motion while the dancers almost had to compete for the most deserved attention. Also, I happen to be an intense fan of Hans Zimmer’s. I particularly love the soundtrack from “King Arthur,” from which the final pieces were scored. I felt a bit disappointed with the “feather-lipped clams/sunflowers?” piece as it didn’t fit the richness and crescendo of the music.
Overall, though, I loved it and hope MOMIX comes back to the Merrill again!
Andrew Shuttleworth says:
Thanks for your remarks, everyone. We look forward to reading more of your thoughts!
In response to Harry and Beverly: you’re right; when Momix arrived at the auditorium yesterday afternoon, they discovered that they would not need us to turn off all of the aisle safety lights (just the ones in the Terrace). This enabled us to permit some late seating. We’re very sorry for any inconvenience, but we were glad not to have to turn anyone away.
beverly baker says:
i agree with harry-was annoying to be told to be there at 7:15. we also changed dinner plans and felt very rushed. also not all lights were off.
beverly baker says:
it was fantastic.one of the cleverest shows i’ve ever seen in my 66 years.just wish knew how did all those moves.
Anna Priluck says:
As a former dancer and choreographer, I found the MOMIX show eye-opening. Throughout the performance, I reflected upon the strength, ability, and artistry of bodies behind the curtain and the light. The best dance companies make their creations look easy and MOMIX is an expert at this feat. The challenge for MOMIX, I feel, is to convey that physical strength behind the curtain to audiance members who may not understand first hand how difficult it is to create what they have seen. I was delighted when the choreography and light design changed for brief moments during the show, permitting the audiance to see the actual bodies behind the curtain. Those specks of “reality” were very important and I partly wish there were a few more of them. Overall, an excellent dance company showing one of its most creative works.
Harry says:
I was amazed by the athleticism and the fluidity of the motion of the dancers. The choreography was a little underwhelming; an attempt was obviously made to synchronise, but it fell short more often than not. And the individual pieces never told a compelling story to me. However, parts were truly astounding. The rope pulses, the seagulls, quite memorable. I could have done without the two dancers performing a virtual sex act under red lights. While again the strength and fluidity was amazing, the effect was more vulgar than beautiful.
As a side note, we received an e-mail insisting that we arrive by 7:15, and stating that there would be no late admission. We changed dinner plans & cut dinner short in order to be there in time, only to find that the e-mail wasn’t true. The lights remained on until 7:38, and fully 10 minutes into the performance a group of 3 was led to seats in front of us, disturbing the aisles & interrupting our enjoyment of the show. I’m happy to get there early, but to do so only to find that PCA didn’t follow its own rules is bad form, and not helpful to PCA’s credibility.
Overall, glad I went. Not blown away, but glad I went.
Lynn Shaffer says:
What a thrilling performance. I have been e-mailing everyone I care about to tell them to look for a performance they can attend. Andrew has written far more eloquently than I can about the performance. Suffice it to say it was unique, and wonderfully so, in my experience.