Review: MOMIX Treats Audience to a Night of Confectionary Delights

It's common for an evening of dance to entertain and delight the senses. But it's rare when it creates an immersive experience that enhances every sound and sight you encounter. And on the evening of July 25th 2018, the company of MOMIX did just that. For more than 38 years, MOMIX has dazzled local and international audiences alike, not only with their command of classical and modern technique, but by incorporating elements of the real world into their repertory.

"Pleaides" led off the program, bringing shimmering, celestial beauty to the stage. Danced by a female trio in glittering garb, the dancers twirled and swirled like stars in the night sky. "Tuu" was up next, highlighting a pas de deux between a man and a woman. Danced impressively by Jonathan Eden and Sarah Nachbauer, the pair danced as one unit, using stability and constant body contact to create spellbinding shapes in space that continued the nature-inspired theme of the evening's program.

"Marigolds" was up third, bringing a refreshing botanical brightness to the stage. Clad in plush tutus, the women's dancing was grounded and full-bodied, perfectly mirroring the earthy beauty that marigolds bring to any garden. "Pole Dance" followed, reinforcing the strength this company has in spades. Featuring three male dancers, the trio used totem poles as extensions of their own limbs to make the impossible possible. Bouncing to and fro, their elongated lines created staggering diagonals that shadowed the stage with structure. And it only continued with "Baths of Caracalla", which reinforced the dancers' dimension, using white cloths to ebb back and forth and cleanse the choreographic palette.

Three 35th Anniversary Creations closed out Act I: "Daddy Long Legs", "Light Reigns" and "Paper Trails". The first was inspired by cowboy Westerns, but using stilts as leg replacements, the three male dancers merged a classical theme with an otherworldly one, employing humor as the great equalizer. "Light Reins" was more light show than dance piece, but worked with the theme of the evening. "Paper Trails", by far the most visually striking of the night, navigated the realms of possibility through simplicity: What can be created with just rolls of paper? According to MOMIX, everything, as the dancers shaped the paper to their bodies and the stage with incredible elegance.

Act II began with "Echoes of Narcissus", a staggering solo piece for the returning Nachbauer. Performed on a mirror surface, she became both herself and her ego, creating movement and its reflection with awe-inspiring precision. "Snow Geese" followed, which brought back the delightful light play the company is so well-known for. A personal favorite, "Dreamcatcher" was up next, exploring the push and pull between dancers and barrier; the duo bobbed and weaved through the dreamcatcher's every curve with dreamy agility. "Brainwave", "Spawning" and "Man Fan" all continued the program's tension between nature vs nurture, but none as simply as "Table Talk", a solo routine for Jason Williams that explored both physical and metaphorical boundaries using a simple wooden table. With gravity-defying leaps and Cirque du Soleil-level acrobatics, Williams danced like a dynamo.

Closing out with the dreamlike "Aqua Flora" and "If You Need Some Body", MOMIX once again affirmed its importance in the dance community. RUN, don't walk, to see them - now through August 12th!

Photo Credit: Max Pucciariello

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